This adult comedy show, written by Drew Quayle, follows the antics and everyday life of salon manager, Carol, played by radio and stage star Leanne Campbell. It’s predecessor show, The Salon originally played at St Helens Theatre Royal in 2009, playing again in 2011 and 2017, before transferring to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre in 2018.
This stand-alone sequel has been updated to reflect current local Liverpool culture and is awash with Scouse over-the-top caricatures and Scouse humour which had the hyped-up audience showing their appreciation with boisterous whoops and piercing squeals of laughter amid noisy excitement.
Carol (Leanne Campbell) is orchestrator of the story, managing the salon staff and trying to keep her family life in control. Her staff of two, beautician and would-be Tik Tok influencer, Tia (Katy McKenna) and middle-aged loudmouth, Sheila (Sarah White, ex TV’s Brookside) help keep this humorous tale which is cram packed with irreverent attitudes to sex and bodily functions, on-point with fast-paced bawdy comments and sexual inuendo.
Helping the story along with risqué remarks and double entendre by the minute is colourfully attired Neil (Roy Brandon) with his stripper boyfriend, Damitree (Conor Barrie) who performs an impromptu lap dance much to the delight of the audience.
Carol’s ex, Tony (Darren John Langford), Carol’s pregnant daughter, Emily (Jenna Sian O’Hara) and handyman Jay (Joe Cowin) complete the cast who collectively kept the audience entertained with smutty sexual references coupled with farce-like antics and flash-backs to Benny Hill type humour and suggestive behaviour, which is often classed as taboo in polite society, but the audience relished it.
The cast are energetic and eager to please; Roy Brandon dealt with excited heckling from an audience member excellently, adlibbing during one section.
The set was constant, the gaudy pink interior of a Liverpool hairdressing salon with a raised tier representing the flat above. The sound at times was over-loud and perhaps needs tweaking, the dialogue being rather shouty in most of its delivery by the majority of the cast.
This production is marketed as an 18+ Adult Content show and comes with an adult comedy warning prior to the start of the performance; it is ribald comedy and is not for those easily offended as it contains a multitude of four letter words and vulgarity by the bucketload, coupled with sexual references and displays which may not be to everyone’s taste.
The show is produced by Chantelle Nolan and Jane Joseph and Directed by Chantelle Nolan.
The production runs until 13th October 2024.
Reviewer: Anne Pritchard
Reviewed: 5th October 2024
North West End UK Rating:
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