Dumb Show

by Joe Penhall

Barry's fifteen minutes of infamy are overdue, and when laughter's your living ... that's no joke.

Courted at the end of his show by bankers John and Jane, TV star Barry believes he is to get the 5-star treatment that he deserves. However urged to provide a candid account of his off-stage life and views, the Barry that emerges is the least of the surprises in the tense game of power and manipulation that ensues.

Genres: Plays

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2004

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the characters are sharply defined, and some of the dialogues shine, the main problem with the play is that it is padded out and keeps circling around the same arguments over and over and over again. {Mild spoiler ahead] The first two scenes seem to present two con artists posing as bankers intending to entrap semi-famous TV comedian Barry in some sort of ponzi scheme; however, we learn the two are actually journos, trying to get the goods on Barry for an expose; not only does this make little objective sense, but as Barry quickly states he'll sue them for entrapment and libel, so the scheme falls apart immediately. It appears that Penhall had the idea for two plays, neither long enough to fill a full evening and shoehorned them together to detrimental effect.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart, scary, and endlessly interesting. One of the very best plays I've read in a long time (I truthfully don't remember being quite so excited since reading "Blue/Orange" last summer). This guy is like the new Harold Pinter.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking at the perception of celebrities and the role of the media.