The Balcony Tickets

Set in a time of disruption and unrest, the men of Jean Genet's fictional French city flock to Madame Irma's (Sassy Clyde) brothel – a fantastical house of illusions – to have their delusions of grandeur enacted in great detail. As revolutionaries overthrow the city outside, the audience become the voyeurs, privy to some of the elaborate fantasies of the blue-collar workers who attend sessions here. There’s a Bishop (Alice Bounsall), in pious reflection; a Judge (Ashley Kaplan), in the midst of moral assessment; a General (Joan Porter), mourned by his faithful War Horse.

Throughout The Balcony, we voyeurs learn more and more about the inner workings of the brothel and its associates - Madame Irma is committed to her establishment being the vessel for escapism, which keeps her patrons coming back time and time again. The whole operation is protected by the city’s Chief of Police (Pippa Winslow), who himself longs to be immortalised in the multitude of scenarios that the brothel offers. When the revolution begins to threaten their way of life, this gaggle of desperate fantasists find that their play-acting must turn into reality.

First staged in 1957, The Balcony is recognised as one of the founding plays of modern theatre. All-female ensemble, Get Over It Productions, explore the themes inherent in the play, judging them to have come around once more on the conveyer belt of culture and fit for a modern setting. This revival is directed by Velenzia Spearpoint, with design by Sally Hardcastle.