With am dram often opting for a ‘cast of thousands’ classic it is nice to see the Dilys Guite Players taking on a contemporary two hander in the form of Robert Faquhar’s Kissing Sid James. As you might expect from the title it’s a saucy carry-on in which Eddie and Crystal try to have a dirty weekend in a down at heel seaside town. It’s clear they are a mismatch from the start, keen Eddie, resplendent in tash and ankle swingers has all the charm and finesse you’d expect from a travelling sales man of office supplies, while the cannier Crystal is only here in hopes of a cheap thrill to distract her from her humdrum existence. As the rain sets in the unlikely lovers are confined to their drab hotel room where the most obvious pastime is soon scotched by Eddie’s ‘technique’ of reciting the 1966 world cup final commentary to hold off the inevitable – ‘they think its all over, it is now!’.
Without such distractions the pair are forced to get to know each other and as they bicker it’s revealed that Eddie lives with his Mum and has a relationship record of six weeks while Crystal is a pseudonym chosen to add some glitter to the lonely life of a divorcee. It’s a script full of wit and tenderness which delivers two highly recognisable characters who never slip into caricature. That said, you might wish that Farquhar had a better editor since we start to catch cabin fever from Eddie and Crystal as they argue and make up and argue again. It’s a relief to leave the hotel room in the second act and sample the tawdry delights of the local nightclub and the dimly lit pier.
Unlike their alter egos Eddie and Crystal, Nic Bowden and Kay Guccione are well matched in their skill in bringing these characters to life. Bowdon shows his ultimate commitment to the part not only by growing that moustache but also striking a balance between well-meaning sap and boorish nerd that Crystal finds so infuriating. A high point is his hilarious tearful one-man duet of, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ after Crystal already has. The petite Guccione is something of a pocket rocket on stage delivering a sparkling set piece as Crystal divulges her elaborate Sean Connery fantasy to a cringing Eddie. Together these two actors deliver slick stage chemistry in playing a couple who have none. This likable comedy is as cheerful and cheeky as a saucy seaside postcard.
Kissing Sid James runs until Saturday 22 October at the Lantern Theatre in Sheffield, more details here.