The price of fame

10:17am Thursday 17th April 2008

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Drowning on Dry Land, Altrincham Garrick, 3 out of 5

DROWNING On Dry Land is full of characters you wouldn't cross the road to avoid - you'd cross a continent.

They really are a horrible bunch and when the leading man falls off his celebrity perch you greet his demise with a mere shrug of the shoulders.

It's almost as if they're engaged in some sort of contest to see who can be the most objectionable, from the gushing, back-stabbing TV personality Gale Gilchrist to the hard faced Linzi Ellison.

While I wouldn't describe the piece as vintage Alan Ayckbourn - the ending is particularly weak - there are some great lines and priceless scenarios to enjoy. He's a clever beggar, that Ayckbourn.

Altrincham Garrick's latest production features a strong ensemble cast and the pick of the performances come from Simon Royce as the famous failure Charlie Conrad, Kathryn Worthington as the horrendous Gale Gilchrist and Natalie Horne as the mousy children's entertainer Marsha Bates. Her poor face was a picture as Conrad's smug and smarmy lawyer Hugo de Prescourt tied her up in knots over her allegation against Conrad, a man with all the personality of a tailor's dummy.

Ms Horne consistently impresses me whenever I see her at the Garrick and this is a beautifully pitched piece of character acting.

In an age in which non-entities become celebrities after winning lame-brained reality TV shows, Drowning On Dry Land couldn't be any more topical.

While it isn't in the same league as Ayckbourn classics like Woman In Mind or Absurd Person Singular, this play is hugely enjoyable and highly entertaining and I couldn't resist a satisfied smile when Conrad's world collapses around him.

God forbid anything like that should happen to Jade Goody.

Until Saturday. The box office is on 0161 928 1677.