Straight ***

BushTheatre, London

EXCERPT: "Straight is, ultimately, a fun night out, even if the taste retrospectively left in the mouth isn’t quite as rewarding as the experience."

Straight, D.C. Moore’s adaptation of the film Humpday, comes to the Bush Theatre after a wildly successful run in Sheffield. Without giving too much away, its plot is as crudely sexually orientated as the original film title suggests, everything revolving around a drunken bet made between two old university school friends.

Several push and pull factors have been tentatively drawn into play to try and explain Lewis and Waldorf’s determination to complete this bet. Unfortunately, these don’t wholly marry up with the characters and relationships we see depicted before us. None of them are sufficiently credible explanations, especially considering the fact that the possible damage that could be wreaked is contemplated in the cold, sober and adult light of the next day. Much of the plot progression seems in order to bring about this dramatic, inherently funny, but ultimately improbable, climax. As such, the play has limited emotional or cerebral impact.

Despite these fundamental flaws, Straight excels at engaging its audience. Moore’s writing of dialogue is superb and, despite the predictability of the situational humour, constantly had us in fits of giggles. Characters are stereotyped and predictable, but the strong cast have exceptional comic timing and flair, and diligently try to inject as much realism as possible into their persona portrayals. The best moments were when characters palpably connected: the warmth and intimacy between married couple Morgan (Jessica Ransom) and Lewis (Henry Pettigrew) in the first scene; or the overwhelmingly strong sexual tension during and immediately after the final passionate embrace. However, there wasn’t enough continuity subsequent, or leading up, to these moments: I felt that relationship disintegration and development happened because the storyline demanded it to, rather than the characters’ natures. Although this was redeemed in part by Morgan’s revelation, we needed to see more of Lewis’ insecurities and claustrophobia before Waldorf’s entrance into his life. Likewise, there wasn’t enough space given to illustrate the closeness of Lewis and Waldorf’s (Philip McGinley) relationship, which was necessary, both to explain the upheaval he brings into Lewis’ life and to provide grounding for the bet’s conclusion.

Jenny Rainsford as Steph gave an especially strong performance, refusing to reduce her character to the stereotype begged of it. Mesmerisingly languid, her drawling tones made the most of the bizarrely funny lines that Steph, as a stoned porn star, had been given. The others’ performances were very good, but fissures in credibility prevented them from being outstanding. Director Richard Wilson could have done more to focus on character continuity, and create more of an overarching structure to make it feel more like a play and less like a sitcom.

Designer James Cotterill has done nice work transforming the Bush’s space, its elongated stage and shallow audience auditorium creating immediate intimacy. Though more could have been done to convey the cramped nature of the studio flat in the first act – perhaps if it had been messier we would have better understood that Lewis felt trapped – the sumptuousness of the second act’s hotel room is well achieved.

Entertaining, colourful, and with high quality comedy that is remarkably well-sustained despite the plot’s shortcomings, there is much that is right with this production. Straight is, ultimately, a fun night out, even if the taste retrospectively left in the mouth isn’t quite as rewarding as the experience.

Straight is playing at The Bush Theatre until Saturday 22^nd December. For more information and tickets please see the Bush Theatre website.