Dames by Siberian Lights, a female-centric theatre company, is an hour long messy and deeply comedic exploration of female friendships in a haven found within a club – a loo with an out-of-order sign placed on the door. Six women converge, and find themselves trapped in repetition as the plot inches from reality and into absurdism, against a Brechtian backdrop that overarches the piece.

Charlotte Merriam’s debut play questions what it means to be a millennial dame – the characters are all well-known stereotypes that can be found parodied on twitter feeds in any given day. Rather than a rejection of these stereotypes, they are used to foster an immediate connection in the truths they hold, before being edified and expanded on to craft the characters with an unexpected dimensionality.

The writing is funny, self-aware and witty – it is heavily tailored to a millennial audience through the plethora of references regarding the aforementioned stereotypes; despite the anticipated pitfalls of doing so, Merriam builds a world where amongst the nonsense, the threads of sisterly love are very much present. It is easy to see how this loo is a reduced projection of the world that lies beyond it.

The initially unpredictable structure of the play is exciting, and consequently develops the characters past well-trodden clichés. It is refreshing to see the melting-pot of influences and techniques used, allowing the play to continually maintain an element of surprise.

Brought to life through the fantastic performances across the stage, the writing is elevated in the sheer commitment expressed by each actor; it is raucous and high-energy. They balance each other perfectly, with no loss of momentum throughout. Each of the characters, despite their flaws is likeable, and due to the Brechtian separation, the actors are simultaneously playing themselves and their roles, bringing the humour to both.

Whilst a larger conflict never really occurs, it is continually implied through that which is missing. Minute disagreements spur the plot onwards, and further discord is mostly unmissed as the focus is on unity rather than separation, however it does dilute the sentiment to not address that which is hinted at. Though given the intoxicated states, this can easily be forgiven.

Sonically, the curation of the music chosen is excellent (obviously ‘Despacito’ had to make an appearance given the setting so I shall avoid any pre-existing resentment) and Joshua Bowles’ contributions with his guitar throughout are electrifying (pun somewhat intended). The lighting design, whilst largely consistent, seemed confused at times and clashed with the dialogue, especially at the end.

Well-paced throughout, the play ends somewhat suddenly and in contrast to that which came before, appearing slightly underdeveloped and rushed. The shift in tone is too great and sudden to be truly impactful for the desired ending. Despite this the sentiment remains, as well as the joy found amongst the mess on stage.

Dames played at the Pleasance Theatre until 29 April

Photo: Scott Rylander