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10 August 2026
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3 1/2 ***
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We all need a bit of a laugh at the moment I think – any diversion from the news headlines is very much a welcome relief and when the curtain goes up on a room with five doors, then you know it is likely you are in farce territory! Hurrah!
Marc Camoletti is responsible for some of the most performed farces these days which have been in existence for over 60 years. ‘Changing Rooms’ is less well known than ‘Boeing-Boeing’, for instance, and is the seventh play in the 2026 Sidmouth Rep season in an adaptation by Jonathan Holloway from the English version by Anthony Wood.
Married couple, Bernard and Jacqueline, both plan a liaison with their secret lovers but, as you would expect, not everything goes to plan and it is up to their housekeeper, Nana to try and sort things out in what becomes a very sleepless night for her. The recurring names of Bernard, Robert and Jacqueline are features of Camoletti’s play – all different characters, but all part of the webs of deceit he weaves.
Jonathan Hunt understands farce both as an actor and, as here, sitting in the director’s chair. His choreography of movement and ear for timing is top notch and you know he will squeeze as much as he can from a script. He is blessed with a cast of extremely talented actors who know just how to respond to his direction and to the genre. Joshua Coley was born with funny bones and his range of facial expressions are vast from the wide-eyed smile to the gurn and the leer…they tell you all you need to know. Bridget Lambert, likewise, can go from prim and proper to the vampish in a second – it takes huge skill to pull this off so effectively. It has been remarked before that Jake Seabrook is one of the funniest people on stage and he doesn’t disappoint here – watching him change clothes provides an hilarious master class in physical comedy. Laura Anna-Mead has also provided the Sidmouth stage with some golden moments and, as Bernard’s amour, her Estuary English augments her instinctive and wonderful comic talent. As the puppet-master, over-seeing all the chaos, Hilary Harwood, twinkles as Nana, the all-knowing and all-seeing one, delivering asides with the most perfect timing.
The opening scene is very much one of exposition and so the farce elements don’t really come into their own until the second half of the act. When they do, it’s a joy, with split second doors opening and closing all over the place. As clothes are shed willy nilly in act two, the plot begins to run out of steam a little, but it’s fun while it lasts.
Not the best farce you’ll ever see, but it is fun, frantic at times, and performed with glee and with tongue very firmly in cheek. The director’s choice of incidental music is a huge bonus – songs such as ‘je t’aime’, are wonderfully used to underscore the nefarious goings-on.
If you fancy something undemanding which will make you laugh – then this is the perfect show for you.
CHANGING ROOMS continues until 15 August. NEXT WEEK, the thriller STONE COLD MURDER by James Cawood which runs 17-22 August.
Don’t forget Paul Smith’s book – COMEDY TOMORROW, TRAGEDY TONIGHT! – THE REMARKABLE STORY OF REPERTORY THEATRE AT THE MANOR PAVILION is available from Paragon Books and Winstone’s Bookshop and also from the Manor Pavilion and online at www.theatreplays.uk
Cast
Bernard – Joshua Coley
Jacqueline – Bridget Lambert
Robert – Jake Seabrooke
Bridgette – Laura Anna-Mead
Nana – Hilary Harwood
Creatives
Writer – Marc Camoletti, Anthony Wood, Jonathan Holloway
Director – Jonathan Hunt
Set Design – Andrew Beckett
Costume Designer – Janet Huckle
Lighting Design – Chris Jackson & Will Tippett
Sound Design – James Prendergast
Props Supervisor – James Prendergast
Set Builder – Rhys Cannon
Stage Manager – James Prendergast
Sound/Lighting Operation – James Prendergast
Stage Management Team – Dominic McChesney & Rhys Cannon
Season Producer – Andrew Beckett
Season Patron – Paul Taylor-Mills
Photo Image – Sidmouth Rep
