The Gift, Park Theatre Review

Alex Price, Nicholas Burns and Laura Haddock in The Gift. Photo by Rich Southgate

Written by Philip for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

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The Gift by Dave Florez is a brand new comedy debuting at Park Theatre and what a comedy it is. The story revolves around Colin and in particular him receiving a rather unpleasant ‘gift’ in the mail. Together with his sister Lisa and her husband Brian, they set out to uncover the mystery of who sent such a package and more importantly, why? 

As we progress it becomes clear that Colin cannot deal with this sort of event and it’s up to Lisa and Brian to save Colin from his midlife crisis that is looming larger daily. But to be honest, who can blame him? As the days pass, Colin’s list of possible suspects grows with every memory of an unpleasant experience with someone he has crossed paths with. It turns out Colin can be a bit of a dick. Paranoia is rife. It could be anyone. The results are positively hilarious. It doesn’t take long before the audience is in stitches.

Florez’s writing is a stroke of genius. It is joyful, to say the least. The whole concept while a little out of the ordinary is so brilliantly done. It feels real and believable. Every word is like something that would be said in my family living room; I’m sure many people would feel the same. It is resonant because it is real. Coupled with Adam Meggido’s direction, you are on to an absolute winner. Although rather left field, this kind of event could actually happen to anyone at any time. The despair, the anger, the confusion, the hysteria all have their place and just add to the silliness of this production. 

The stellar performances by this starry cast, only add to the gift that is The Gift. Nicholas Burns is fantastic as the recipient of the package, Colin. He is madcap and electric in his performance. Fizzing with energy.  Constantly taking on the mantle as Detective in Chief. He exudes humour and most definitely has funny bones. Lisa, played wonderfully by Laura Haddock is definitely the sensible one of our trio although even she has her eccentric moments. Haddock is a joy to watch. Watching as Lisa fell into despair over the antics that are occurring in front of her was just so comedic. Rounding out the company is the magnificent Alex Price as Brian. Somewhere in between our siblings on the scale of how different they are when it comes to dealing with a scenario such as this but definitely closer to Colin. Price was real and loveable and effortlessly funny. As a whole, they work incredibly well together. Each just as fantastic as the others. 

Not a single weak link between the cast, the writing or the direction. It is clear that every person involved in this creation had a similar vision. All the creatives pull in the same direction to find cohesiveness and normality in a play surrounded by a frivolous narrative. 

It is not often I find a comedy laugh out loud funny but this is exactly what this was. It is the perfect remedy for the grey skies of winter. It is incredibly hard to cater to everyone’s taste but the whole room was positively beaming at the end of the show. This is one of those rare gems of a production where every piece falls into place to create magic. 

at Park Theatre until Saturday 1st March

★ ★ ★ ★ ★