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Stella and George are no ordinary couple. Stella is a transvestite who pays George to spend time with 'her' in her hotel room every wednesday, although nothing of a sexual nature takes place. Although George is genuinely fond of Stella, he refuses to be seen outside the hotel room with her and is ashamed at the possibility that news of their private 'arrangement' may leak out. At one of their regular trysts, a volley of pebbles at the window and a mysterious phone call play upon George's paranoia leading to an unfortunate incident with a room service bell boy delivering sandwiches. Faced with having a body to dispose of, Stella and George are galvanised into action. Will adversity split them apart or mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
Though primarily a comedy, this three-handed play also has elements of emotional conflict and a deep underlying poignancy in the relationship between the two main characters.
Stella, played by Toby Sawyer, is a transvestite of seemingly independent means. 'She' has a comfortable lifestyle but is lonely and longs for someone to promenade her along 'the mile' of Blackpool's seafront. George, played by Dominic Gately, fulfills Stella's need for companionship - but only up to a point since he is paranoid about anyone uncovering their 'arrangement'. Stella is unashamedly 'gay', a real 'queen' in fact, fully in touch with her sexuality. George, on the other hand, is much more repressed, struggling to come to terms with himself and his relationship with Stella. The relationship between the two is rather poignant and, in at times touchingly romantic.
The whole of action in the play takes place in the hotel room and gets off to a rather slow start with the humour in opening stages being generally rather weak and somewhat contrived. But the comedy steps up a gear with the arrival of the bellboy, played by John Catterall, as situations develop that can only be described as Stockholm Syndrome on acid. This is where all the reals laughs are in this piece before it settles down again for a quieter ending.
Slow in parts, genuinely very funny in others. A rom-com with a difference, not to mention a generous twist of the absurd.