Di and Viv and Rose tells a story familiar to most university students: moving into a dated house with people who will fundamentally change your life. Charting the titular characters from their student house in the 1980s right up until the present, Di and Viv and Rose is a celebration of friendship that will leave you laughing, crying, and wanting to go home and hug your housemate.
The chemistry between the three actresses is superb – you buy into their friendship immediately, and believe every laugh they have together. The play does a brilliant job of making you feel like you know these characters inside and out before taking a more challenging turn. Di, a sporty and passionate lesbian, is played by Rachel Connolly, who treads the balance between comedy and drama perfectly. Her monologue in the second act is one of the stand out moments of the show, and she handles her trauma in the first act with startling conviction and emotion. Laura Jane Bateman’s portrayal of Viv, the academic, down-to-earth, driven one of the group, is remarkable as she manages to make a character that can come across quite harsh at times intensely likeable. She also shines in the more dramatic moments, particularly in the second act. Sophie Walton plays the ditsy and flirtatious Rose, playing the role of the Southern Home Counties student with hilarious energy and a deep emotional centre. All three actresses manage the transition from comedy to drama and back again effortlessly, and their chemistry is undeniable.
The play is imbued with a fantastic energy – the dance numbers were particularly stand-out. The three actresses drunkenly dancing after a night out was a highlight of the show. But it didn’t shy away from quiet moments – the ending was particularly poignant, and I left with a definite lump in my throat.
Director Ed Eggleton’s production features a strong set design – the student house is brilliantly realised with convincingly naff furniture and an appropriate level of clutter. The second half of the play features a barer stage, which allows for more diverse settings. The lighting design was at its strongest in its more flamboyant scene changes – the light show whilst ‘Let Me Entertain You’ played was energized and impressive. However, the use of blackouts at the beginning of the play was a little excessive, and proved jarring when so many happened in quick succession. Also, some of the music choices were a little questionable – in particular the use of the same few lines of the same song between a series of intensely poignant and serious scenes became quite repetitive.
Di and Viv and Rose is fundamentally a love story between these three women, and it doesn’t matter a bit if it’s not a romantic love. Often hilarious, occasionally tragic, this play wonderfully charts the friendships and lives of these three brilliant characters trying to make their way in the world.
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Edited by: Emily Brady