Buyer & Cellar, King’s Head Theatre Review

Rob Madge in Buyer and Cellar. Photo by Genevieve Girling.

Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic.

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

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Buyer & Cellar is a one person show, written by Jonathan Tolins. It tells the story of out-of-work actor Alex More who, on being sacked from his job at Disneyland, randomly finds himself working in a shop in Barbra Streisand’s basement shopping mall. As you do!

As Alex tells us in the play’s prologue, the basement shopping mall is real (Streisand used it to store and display clothes, art and other objects and trinkets that she had accumulated over the years), but the rest of the story is total fiction. Over the next 90 minutes we get to know Alex and his “underemployed” screenwriter boyfriend Barry, and watch “something” blossom between Alex and the iconic Ms Streisand – is it a friendship? Time will tell …

Tolins’ script is excellent. It’s peppered with references that Streisand fans will love, but without becoming too focused on her. Her presence is very much felt and whilst Tolins clearly has a huge amount of respect for her, this is not an idealised love letter to Barbra. She is portrayed as a rather eccentric, aloof and lonely woman –childlike at times and quick to show a flash of temper. She’s somewhat removed from reality, as you’d probably expect from somebody that famous. It is a testament to the writing, direction and performance (more on that later) that the character of Alex is very much the central focus of the story.

Director Kirk Jameson has given us a fast-paced production that still allows time for jokes to breathe and characters to get properly established. The play feels a lot shorter than its 90 minutes running time. The set is simple but very effective – with just a panelled wall as a backdrop and an elegant chair the only furniture – Alex moves it around as scenes change. This is augmented by excellent lighting from Jack Weir, with just a subtle change we can see a shift in tone or move to a whole new scene. The sound design by Emily Rose Simons is also superb – from the tinkling of a bell to announce the arrival of Alex’s “customer” to little instrumental snippets of Streisand’s most iconic songs, it is all perfectly timed and pitched. The lighting and sound together give the impression that this is a much larger production than the one-person show we are watching.

And as for the actor in this one-person show … Rob Madge gives a tour de force performance in an absolute masterclass of character, comedy and charisma. To hold the audience’s attention for just over 90 minutes is not for the faint-hearted and Rob’s huge heart – already shared with audiences in their self-penned autobiographical show “My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?)” – forges an instant bond with the audience and doesn’t let it go for the full 90 minutes. 

Madge plays all of the characters in the play, switching between them with ease and making it immediately clear from a change in vocal tone or posture as to who they are. Boyfriend Barry and Manager Sharon are clearly defined but, of course, it is the character of Barbra that really grabs us. As Madge tells us at the start of the play, they’re not going to “DO” Barbra, they will “BE” her. And they achieve this brilliantly. The mannerisms are instantly recognisable without crossing over into parody.

The story in Buyer & Cellar is quite bizarre and definitely doesn’t play out as you’d expect (there’s a clever little twist towards the end). It’s very funny but some softer, more contemplative moments give us some deeper insight into Alex’s character as well as that of the lady he’s working for. Fans of Barbra Streisand will definitely get more out of the play as there are so many little jokes and references that could be a bit wasted on somebody who doesn’t know any of the background. But, it is still a thoroughly entertaining piece of theatre, even to the uninitiated, with a stunning central performance from Rob Madge that clearly establishes them as a theatrical force to be reckoned with.

I highly recommend spending 90 minutes with Alex in Barbra Streisand’s basement. It’s a little bit surreal, very funny and will leave you feeling that, although you know it’s all made up, you sort of wish it was true!

Buyer & Cellar runs at the Kings Head Theatre until 19th October and then at The Drum at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from 29th October until 2nd November 2024.

★ ★ ★ ★