ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

MEN ARE DOGS by Joe Simonelli Director Mark Bennett Players Theatre

It isn’t a regular occurrence to watch the UK Premiere of a play, so I was intrigued to see how this presentation would

come to life. This play is the creation of a relatively unknown playwright on these shores. Joe Simonelli, who is American, has been writing stage plays since 2001 and has written twenty full length stage plays to date, covering all genres including Drama, Thriller and in this case Comedy. The play itself centres around Dr Cecelia Monahan who is a successful psychologist. She runs a support group for single and divorced women, she must listen to their relationship problems, but she does have troubles of her own, one being getting continual advice from her live-in mother. The humour comes from the outpouring of the issues her patients divulge. In an effort to get them to off load their troubles the doctor hires a male “volunteer” so some role play can take place. This transcends into some laugh out loud scenes. Charlotte Durham played the straight talking, assertive doctor and yet there were times when she let you see the loneliness and vulnerability of the woman she truly is. The character has been let down before by men and has built barriers to protect herself. By listening to her omnipresent mother’s advice, she gradually softens her objections to having a relationship and takes a chance on the charming delivery guy, only to find out that he is already married. Quite a number of the comic lines are delivered by the mother, Rose, who knew all that went on in the lives of the patients due to listening through the laundry air vent. Sue Hinde delivered her dialogue with quiet asides that were timed just perfectly and with good expression. The flirty interactions between herself and the delivery guy raised chuckles