What Would Jarvis Do?, a new play by Laura Grillo, is built on a beautifully simple premise. Two best friends, Didi and GG, have purchased a pair of trousers believed to have been worn by their hero, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. The catch: they might not actually be his trousers. Their obsessive quest to locate the real ones sets the plot in motion.
Annabel Smith and Isabel Butt play Didi and GG with considerable charm. Their bond is strong and their dynamic well-drawn, though we are never told how they met. Their mission leads them to the house of Ms Lacy, their therapist, whose unconventional methods and increasingly erratic behaviour raise questions about her own sanity. The character-driven plot follows a cycle of replays of the visit to Ms Lacy’s house, each time presenting a different version of events, a structure reminiscent of Beckett, which the production wears lightly.
The night I attended, Ms Lacy was played by understudy Maggie Daniels, who continues in the role. It is no small thing to step into a central character, often at short notice and with minimal rehearsal time. Daniels rose to the challenge, bringing a dominant authority to Ms Lacy and slowly revealing her more insidious nature as the play progressed.
Isabel Butt excels as GG, particularly in her clowning and tangents, while Annabel Smith brings a slightly more child-like vulnerability to Didi. Henry Miller evokes unease as Mister, a character whose presence raises more questions than answers.
As the play progresses it takes an increasingly surreal turn, and the audience on the night I attended seemed entirely unfazed as the plot became ever more outlandish. The set design is resourceful and the use of laminated props, necessitated by a limited budget, is handled with humour. A few Pulp songs, mainly Something Changed, punctuate the action effectively.
What Would Jarvis Do? is an assured and entertaining debut from Laura Grillo. I look forward to seeing what she produces next.
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