It’s that time of the year when theatre companies and productions gear up for Edinburgh. The team behind The Pornstar Martini Effect will be taking their show to the fringe and, judging by the Manchester previews, they are pretty much ready.
Even if the first performance at the Kings Arms in Salford didn’t get going until a good half hour after the advertised start time.
This is a slickly directed and solidly acted two-hander with some interesting things to say about misogyny, gender stereotypes and the complexities of human nature.
Kat (Zane Marsland) and Tom (Finnen McNiffe) are working the dreaded Christmas Eve shift at a packed bar. Alongside the inevitable shaking, mixing, straining and pouring they are also having to deal with inappropriate customers.
Their personal struggles are never far away, and the pair will also have to tackle their own relationship before the night is out.
This is a triggering theatrical experience for anyone who has endured the festive season in a hospitality job. Just hearing Coldplay’s Christmas Lights might be enough for people to regress.
After a fun and energetic opening sequence (who hasn’t needed a swig of Champagne to be able to face drunk drinkers), the show’s first part is generally composed of individual monologues interspersed with conversations between the two.
As the night descends, those conversations deepen in tone, and it becomes less ambiguous whether they are actually taking place or rather represent what the pair are feeling and would like to say to each other.
It’s a neat device and it might have been interesting to see it sustained for the full running time, giving us a glimpse into the characters’ inner thoughts and respective back stories.
Instead, the final third falls back on the fairly staid storytelling device of Kat and Tom having an expository conversation with each other. It is all quite repetitive and dragged out, after the major points and revelations have broadly been made or understood.
The audience is also expected to believe certain lines are said out loud, rather than just felt or thought.
Overall, Ella Kendrick’s writing is clever, witty and snappy. However, it’s hard to believe ‘rust congeals in my joints’ is something anyone would actually say. There are a few examples of this.
It’s also clear that the, at times, densely verbose nature of the dialogue is causing the actors to trip over the words as they try to deliver them at pace. This is probably a sign lines could be simplified.
Both Marsland and McNiffe give their all throughout and commit fully. In time, they will both grow into their respective roles.
McNiffe is almost too likeable to make his character’s journey believable. Although this is, quite possibly, more an issue in the aforementioned lack of ‘show, don’t tell’ storytelling.
Writer Kendrick also directs. The bar staging is effective while lighting changes help dictate the tone and move the action along.
This is an interesting piece, not without its flaws, and will surely do well in Edinburgh.
Playing until 28th May 2025. For tickets and more information:
Reviewer: Peter Ruddick
Reviewed: 27th May 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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