Defining ‘Dolly’ as a play about sexual assault is reductive. What Dolly achieves is nothing less than a crushing experience that refuses to soften its blows. The dark comedy, written by Charlotte Ashton is anything but linear, combining stand-up comedy, police interview recordings and a splintered narrative. Its result is a very pointed and urgent confrontation of the criminal justice system’s failure in protecting and defending women.
The show opens with the titular Dolly (Jessica Clark) performing what appears to be a stand-up set, convincingly authentic with sharp and attentive comedic timing. A waitress by day and comic by night, Dolly interestingly interacts with the audience. As her set continues, material covering sexual harassment emerges as more prominent until it becomes the focal point. When Dolly explains her experience of sexual assault, the production collapses into a fragmented narrative of its consequences.
Clark delivers a staggeringly dynamic performance, stacking somewhat insurmountable blocks of humour and trauma on top of one another until they all come crashing down. She assumes all the roles in Dolly’s life with distinction, emulating empathetic boyfriend Paul in addition to her therapist and PC who manages her police case. It’s easy to forget this is a one-woman show.
She navigates the stage with conviction; in between monologues, she rearranges boxes of plastic Barbie dolls, the camera facing the audience, her mic and stand ritualistically. Movement is compulsory for Dolly, who refuses to sit in her reality. She constantly reminds us to keep up. Skylar Turnball Hurd’s light design transports Dolly along her journey and sometimes brings her right back to the start. The switching from soft and tender lighting to harsh and abrupt lighting is jilting and consolidates how the play is something to be experienced, not watched.
Anthony Biggs’ direction is calculated and effective. It’s difficult to know when Dolly is performing comedy or reciting the events of her life. Lines are blurred between the two, suggesting that she perhaps doesn’t know either. Her musings mutate from funny and light to abrasive and awkward, still underlined by the same comedic tone. Dolly is not afraid of jarring and causing discomfort to the audience. It in fact, it requires itself to do so.
Asli Ozuak’s stage design is highly effective in incubating Dolly’s decline in mental health. A screen hangs over the back, on which the audience (recorded from a hidden camera) is projected. The audience is constantly reminded of their own role as participants, inactive or not.
Dolly serves as an indictment of a system deeply in need of reform. Every moment of respite washes away quicker than it lasted. The consequences of institutional gaslighting and rape culture are illuminated clearly and with an impeccable stage design and direction, it’s bound to resonate and shock.
Reviewer: Naina Sidhu
Reviewed: 23rd October 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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