Laughter Lines: A Review from The Front Room

Laughter Lines: A Review from The Front Room

1280 526 Ventnor Fringe

 

Anyone of a prudish and nervous disposition should not have been at The Ventnor Arts Club (part of  the Ventnor Fringe Festival) as Donna Jones MBE and Joan Ellis proceeded on a full frontal attack on middle age sensibilities with their engaging show Laughter Lines. Welcome to the mind set of 2 women, who are 45 plus and show no signs of slowing down ever!

In the case of Donna Jones, the MBE is perhaps another way of throwing unsuspecting audiences off the scent, her performance of  storytelling and poetry had the audience both squirming and in tears of laughter as she proceeded to tackle subjects such as menopause and the virtues of Barnsley, leaving no stone unturned. Hung drawn and quartered would perhaps be a better description.
The audience needed some respite after this, with the show cleverly interspersing  between the 2 performers, as next up Joan Ellis, with a more subtle style of storytelling engaging the audience with poignant and a more relaxed humour, on tales of child-hood and her middle class aspirations.

The audience at the delightfully restored art deco styled Ventnor Arts Club (previously a bank) were of mixed gender and ages and judging by the laughter the show appeals to audiences of all ages and sexes.  One word to finish with, awesome!

 

– Johnny Sackett, Creative Producer, The Front Room