Play Pie and a Pint: The Trouble with Double @ Òran Mór

Watch out world, there’s a new Mrs Malaprop in town and she’s causing havoc with her own unique malapropistic condition.

It’s the morning after the night before and what a night it was.  But the hair of the dog won’t help Dex Sexington deal with fiancée Sally’s estranged sister Merrill turning up.  Malapropistic Merrill Mallow puts the trouble in double; it’s up to Dex’s best friend Randy to sort things out. And he does, in a way… 

It’s been used before and it’ll be used again but the obvious obstacle of mistaken identity lies at the heart of D C Jackson’s comedy.  Here however it’s the dialogue, rather than the plot, which is the driver of this play. 

As with screwball comedies, The Trouble with Double is a very wordy play and it’s fast pace fare.   Malapropisms, puns, word play and gags are all delivered with lightning speed; the verbal dexterity required by the actors is impressive. 

Add a dash of smut and the cast have saucy fun with it all.  Johnny Austin’s Randy revels in the madness of the language and firmly lives up to his name as he tries to protect Robert Jack’s straight man Dex from making the biggest mistake of his life.  Louise McCarthy (Sally/Merrill) is particularly funny when Merrill reveals her true colours.    

There’s a sharpness missing from the show and plot wise, the entrances and exits, particularly for the double role of Sally/Merrill, could have been pushed further for more laughs. However Kenny Miller’s production never fails to entertain.