The Criterion Theatre: Audience delighted by this comic masterpiece
Holiday friendships, like holiday romances, were never meant to last or even be spoken of again. What happens on holiday stays on holiday…until the holiday friend turns up on the doorstep. Peter [Jon Elves] and Debbie [Cathryn Bowler] have enjoyed a month-long cruise. Even curmudgeon Peter had relished the company on deck talking with Elsa [Christine Evans] – loud, brash and American. About to disembark, Debbie could not avoid giving Elsa their contact details.
The Unfriend
Performed at The Criterion Theatre, Monday 23 March 2026 [to 28 March].
Director:
Audience delighted by this comic masterpiece.
Holiday friendships, like holiday romances, were never meant to last or even be spoken of again. What happens on holiday stays on holiday…until the holiday friend turns up on the doorstep. Peter [Jon Elves] and Debbie [Cathryn Bowler] have enjoyed a month-long cruise. Even curmudgeon Peter had relished the company on deck talking with Elsa [Christine Evans] – loud, brash and American. About to disembark, Debbie could not avoid giving Elsa their contact details.
When Elsa was about to arrive on their doorstep, Cathryn and Jon gave superb portrayals of a couple from the chattering classes, ostensibly open-minded but once they had Googled Elsa and found some background about her allegedly serious criminal past, they were plagued by unassertiveness and politeness. In hilarious scenes, they considered how to dissuade her from coming and later how to ask her to leave, weaving themselves in more and more tangled webs of lies and then trying to extricate themselves in the face of their children’s questions. Morgan Blundell-Smith and Martin Foley gave excellent authentic performances as their teenage children, self-obsessed Rosie and sullen Alex, respectively.
Jon brilliantly combined Peter’s nervousness and timidity in the face of Debbie haranguing him, whilst being plagued by his busybody neighbour [Dave Groves]. Dave gave a brilliant depiction with his irritating dogged persistence about minor neighbourly matters. The interplay between Jon and Peter was terrific.
Christine maintained Elsa’s American accent throughout and gave an accomplished performance as she conveyed positivity in the face of the mounting evidence against her. Elsa's manner transformed the teenagers' behaviour. Several scenes stood out. With altered lighting, there was an imagined scene of how Debbie and Jon would confront Elsa and demand that she leaves, which of course they bottled out of. Cathryn gave a fantastic monologue after Elsa had been at the house for several days. Returning home, Cathryn proceeded to swig directly from the gin bottle and berate Peter for the unfairness of life that whilst she had avoided criminal behaviour, Elsa had successfully ingratiated herself with the children and neighbours. Jon was a picture of Peter’s helpless bewilderment.
Director John Ruscoe used the newly refurbished Criterion audio-visual facilities very effectively. A clever montage of photos of Peter and Debbie returning home from the cruise and clips of news reels from America enhanced the narrative. During scene changes, Becky Bartlett arranged wonderfully lively foot-tapping music.
This was a truly stand-out production with plenty of laugh out loud moments and deserves full houses.
Charles Essex