Review: Birds of a Feather at The Wycombe Swan (From Bucks Free Press)

Review: Birds of a Feather at The Wycombe Swan

2:53pm Wednesday 20th June 2012 in Freetime By Victoria MacFarlaine

The Birds of a Feather girls delivered belly laughs a plenty, as they were reunited on stage after a 14 year absence.

The Wycombe Swan audience was propelled right back to the 1990s, and back to Essex, as Sharon and Tracy joined forces with man-eater Dorien Green to deliver this spectacular theatre show.

From the very start, as the stirring bars of the theme tune kicked in... ‘What’ll I do... when you... are far away... and I am blue... what’ll I do?’, the smiles returned and the audience giggled their way through the infamous family shots of the sisters, which used to start the TV series.

The plot is centred round Sharon and Tracy meeting up with neighbour-from-hell Dorien after years of no contact, after her divorce from long-suffering husband Marcus. Of course, with the trio, nothing ever goes as planned and along the way they brought a host of comic moments.

At one point Tracy Stubbs, played by Linda Robson, couldn’t contain her own laughs after she belted out a cracking one-liner, which prompted applause from the crowd.

Pauline Quirke, still played loveable slob Sharon Theodopolopodos perfectly. Just spotting her back on the stage, the audience could automatically remember her hilarious old character – despite her (very different) recent role in Emmerdale.

Dorien lit up the stage with her madcap outfits and bouffant hair-do. She was still just as man-mad and perhaps even more outrageous – but just a little older – and threw in some funny age jokes for good measure.

The set design was also accurate, and you could even picture the old living room of their upmarket pad in Chigwell, with its cream leather sofas and posh interiors.

The three together were just harmony and at times you almost forgot you were at the theatre, watching the cast was like being sat glued to the box in the good old days. At the end of the set they shared a hug as the audience gave them rapturous - and well deserved - applause.

The sitcom was hugely popular in its heyday, and ran for nine series from 1989 to 1998.

It makes you wonder: Why doesn’t the Beeb bring it back?

Birds of a Feather is at the Wycombe Swan from June 19-23 at 7.30pm with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets are £19 to £35. To book call 01494 512000 or go to www.wycombeswan.co.uk