4 FRIENDS. 3 PETS. 2 SECRETS. 1 BIG MESS.

By Molly Hayes | Molly Hayes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

As a lover of all things satirical, I was incredibly excited to watch the London edition of Dog Sh!t at Theatre503 and I was not disappointed. Set in Dublin, the play follows four friends as their night together deteriorates and, well, goes to shit. Dog Sh!t is a sharp-witted comedy that pokes fun at the world we live in and explores how desperate we can become to thrive in it.

The central conflict of the play stems from the differences between the tech and theatre careers that the four main characters work or have worked in. As a young person who is very early on in their career, this resonated with me and I found the characters’ anxieties and disillusionment very relatable. I was immensely impressed with how the actors brought their characters to life. Gracie Oddie-James and Breffni Holahan were thrilling to watch as they superbly portrayed the tension between frenemies Raven and Nora. Aaron Shosanya was charming in his performance as Obi and Laura Brady’s depiction of Emma’s descent into madness was incredibly funny.

I was expecting and hoping for a lot of crudeness and toilet humour when I first saw the play’s title and was not disappointed at all. It can be difficult to ensure that this brand of humour isn’t crass or childish but Bellaray Bertrand-Webb and Ursula McGinn handled it unapologetically and refreshingly. While the characters enforce their facades and try to meet the expectations placed upon them by their peers, the huge presence of literal shit throughout the play delightfully reminds us of what unifies every one of us. As well as, the playful intertwining of the characters and their dogs, complemented by the set design and props, was another source of comedy that was highly enjoyable. There were also plenty of memorable one-liners that cracked me up such as “Maybe we’d like gentrification if we could just all afford it”.

Overall, Dog Sh!t left me laughing out loud, feeling pretty disgusted, and questioning my life decisions. Its satirisation of how we navigate our careers in the world today coupled with comical performances was a delightful watch. If you’re a dog lover and disgruntled with capitalism, then you’d love it.

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Photo Credit: Lily Bertrand-Webb | @lilybw