31 January – 10 February

One of the good things about studio theatres is that they allow the actors to indulge in the kind of detail that can often get lost whilst crossing the footlights in a large auditorium. However, subtleties, when performed with skill are a theatregoer’s joy in themselves. So behold the Misses Ramsey and Stables, the actors and co-writers (with Director Jenny Rainsford) of this perfectly realised piece of studio theatre.

The setting of a toddlers’ playgroup in a church was used to full effect with echoes of Joyce Grenfell as the two nannies, by way of asides, spoke to the invisible children and group leader. The thin plot, though wafting around like a piece of standup for the first quarter, was substance enough to draw us in once we’d got the gist. The two old school chums have plans to go to Edinburgh and crack the standup circuit on the road to establishing their theatrical careers. Meanwhile Leanne (Lizzie Stables) is supposed to be organizing a hen night for Amy (Alana Ramsey) who seems to have made a less than perfect match. The reality of balancing the demands of being a nanny for a wealthy family with the practicalities of trying to get a career off the ground and furthermore arranging both wedding and hen do is the irritant that drives the show and provides much of the fun.

Watching these two actresses go about their business is a delight. Never a sentence goes by without it being the subject of detailed examination for its expressive possibilities by way of irony, scorn, sarcasm, contempt and satire not to mention sympathy, disappointment, excitement and expectation. And then they have the easy mobility of features and limbs that mark them out as natural performers. It helps that the script – witty, sharp, observant and detailed – gives them full scope to unleash their talents. The occasional asides as they perform nursery rhymes for the tots are an inspired hoot. Amy appears to have lost all sense of decorum, mugging and pulling faces and shapes until the penny drops that she is miming ‘The Little Green Frog’ for the tinies.

As the show progresses themes of friendship and aspiration begin to emerge which lead to moments of poignancy that are played with a light touch which doesn’t allow the mood to deflate more than momentarily. The emergent story is that of one of the great female double acts that could have been, but for the demands of being a nanny.

★★★★☆ Graham Wyles 8th February 2024