For one night only, ‘On The Go Theatre Company’ bring their production of “Power Cut’, a new play by Josie Byrne and Lynda Gray, to the salubrious surroundings of Olympus Fish & Chips in downtown Bolton. Unfortunately, what aspired to be a character-based situation comedy with a political edge proved to be more of a broad 1970s farce with a muddled script, both poorly staged and executed.
I have often visited ‘thOlympus’ in Bolton before reviewing at the nearby Octagon, revelling in its camp glory. The bright and spacious Dining Room is complete with potted palms and a dinner jacketed pianist playing show tunes on a grand piano, whilst delicious food is served to pensioners by speedy teenagers in smart black uniforms; I always leave smiling. Their decision to convert the restaurant into an impromptu theatre for the evening was both surprising and ambitious; I thought maybe the theatrical elements of the premises could turn this site-specific production into a kitsch success, but it was quickly apparent that this would not happen. From a purely technical perspective, the lack of any raised stage and set, poor sound, badly timed lighting and compromised sight lines made this a poor experience for the paying audience. Indeed, the highlight was witnessing the amazing achievement of feeding the audience of 100+ a full fish and chip supper during a 40-minute interval. Compliments to all as we watched harassed staff moving the ageing clientele around the restaurant/theatre like sheepdogs herding sheep, a balletic choreography that was a joy to behold.
The production was less joyous, with the script by Byrne and Gray (who both appeared in the production) purporting to offer ‘a comedic glimpse into the lives of a group of women from Wigan making ends meet during the industrial unrest of the 1970s’. Any illusions of ‘Made in Dagenham’ wit and characterisation were quickly dissipated as the characters were poorly delineated and difficult to empathise with, lacking any depth and personality. The direction of the storyline was muddled, veering wildly from gossipy scenes between the women punctuated with inappropriate political polemics from Carrie (Pamela Marsden), which jarred with the tone and felt like James Graham had wandered in to interject during the scriptwriting process.
The actors struggled with making this script work as either a comedy or drama, Matthew Robinson as Alan was the pick of the bunch, giving his character elements of humour and principle, whilst the Scouse accent of Sandra (Karen Quigley) was authentic. Elsewhere, the inherent underwriting and curiously contradictory arcs their characters were given made it a difficult watch, Colin Gradwell especially suffering as Bill, the unsympathetic, corrupt and philandering Union official, a curious juxtaposition in a play which consistently promoted union ideals throughout.
Differing elements competed for attention throughout the evening with the writing varying between softer Peter Kay inspired diatribes around Chopper bikes, Green Shield Stamps and Spam and horribly dated crude stereotypes. The writers should note that in 2025 it is neither funny nor acceptable to portray camp gay men in wigs and pissed Irishmen feel more cruel and malicious than affectionate. It is fair to say that the patrons were of the mature variety (my 25-year-old daughter was a good 50 years younger than the average audience member) and as “On The Go’ is an over-50s Theatre group the piece could be seen to cater to this specific audience. However, it is reductive to assume anyone over half a century old conforms to this narrow world view and finds racial and sexual crudity remotely funny. I am in this demographic and was cringing rather than laughing throughout, notably most of the audience were the same by a cnclusion that was in keeping with what had gone before; a surreally awful ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ from Valentino (Michael Morris in full Ziggy Stardust mode). An oddly abrupt end to proceedings left this reviewer completely confused and dumbstruck.
Overall, this was a hilarious evening’s entertainment, just not in the way that the production intended.
Reviewer: Paul Wilcox
Reviewed: 6th October 2025
North West End Rating: