FLEABAG

Salisbury Playhouse,

Salisbury

FLEABAG was billed as a dark comedy with sharp edges but this was less of a play than a stand-up act with a few tired jokes.

The main character played by Maddie Rice is narcissistic and thoroughly deplorable as she stumbles through life on a diet of pornography and sex.

Despite it being a short play, with a run time of just over an hour, Rice is excellent in her ability to engage with the audience as a soloist.

It was just a shame that the play was a deflating balloon as the same depressing jokes about the “Fleabag’s” failed love life began to wear thin as the play progressed.

Written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge this play feels rough around the edges as if she abandoned it to leave for a budding television career.

It ended in a sudden unsatisfactory manner leaving me unsure if I needed to leave my seat or whether it was an unplanned interval.

No doubt this play will appeal to some people who enjoy a black comedy and the audience were treated to some genuine laugh out loud moments but the main character still needs far more development if it is taken forward long term.