Review: Rotten at Harlow Playhouse

THIS was fun. Rotten was a sort of Rear Window for the Generation Z. Or maybe it was a very well acted and directed fun farce for an hour on a Tuesday evening at the Playhouse.

This is a story of out-of-work actresses, Coco, Sonia and Saoirse who share a flat in London.

When they start spying on a wealthy instagrammer , who lives opposite, they start hatching plans. But some seem to have more plans than others.

They are joined by small-time crook Ross, who brings more confusion to their lives.

One of the key qualities in this play was its timing. It was so well choreographed and directed.

The timing and movement was impeccable.

The script was excellent with some laugh out loud moments but it was almost played out like a ballet.

The whole plot moved along nicely and kept the audience engaged. The actors really carved out distinct characters and created a real spark between each other.

This felt like an accurate representation of an actor’s life in 2024 or indeed any year. They had the same frustrations as Withnail! But maybe with less of a body count…

In many ways, this was a masterclass in how to put on a one hour play. Then again it was directed by the much respected Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE.

We look forward to seeing more work by writer Rosie White.