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Having updated his 1998 play for a more modern feel, John Godber’s Perfect Pitch takes audiences on a caravan holiday that’s anything but a relaxing escape.
Set on a coastal Yorkshire campsite, the play follows Matt and Rose, a professional couple looking for peace and hill running, who find themselves inadvertently sharing their getaway with Grant and Steph, a boisterous, mismatched pair camping nearby. The result? A hilarious exploration of class, culture, and caravanning. And for anyone who, like me, also enjoys a caravan getaway, it’s packed with painfully familiar moments that capture the essence of British holidaying.
First of all, the soundtrack is brilliant. It would have been criminal to open with anything other than Caravan of Love by The Housemartins, but that sense of nostalgia and irony is underscored throughout by the carefully thought-out playlist, which includes tracks from The Eagles, Cher, Madness and more.
Frazer Hammill – who I adored in Bouncers – brings a laid back attitude to Matt’s character. The newly-’retired’ headmaster has borrowed his dad’s caravan for the week, and plans to spend his downtime unwinding with a couple of beers. He brings a lot of humour to his scenes, from physical comedy, struggling to put up the awning, to expertly timed one liners like the fact his ‘dad’s a black belt in caravanning’.
His partner, Rose, is portrayed by Annie Kirkman, (New Vic regulars will recognise from Ladies Day and Ladies Down Under), who brings such a vibrant energy to her scenes. Together, Kirkman and Hammill’s chemistry is fantastic, capturing the subtle shifts and strain that life’s inconveniences can bring to a relationship. Rose is a fitness fanatic training for a marathon and has been tee-total for 10 months – that is, until, Grant and Steph erect their pop up tent on the next pitch, with their presence beginning to unravel the well-laid plans of Matt and Rose.
Having pitched up for the local tribute band festival, Laura Jennifer Banks makes a memorable debut as the free-spirited, grungy Steph, whose loud behaviour and unapologetic attitude stands her as a force to be reckoned with. Tom Gallagher, making his New Vic debut as Grant, plays the role with an amusing swagger, his character both oblivious to and blissfully undeterred by the disapproval of Matt and Rose.
And it’s this personality clashing that fuels the play, with Godber’s script filled with the realistic, slice-of-life dialogue he’s known for. While the play is generally a lighthearted comedy, there is an element of social introspection, exploring how we can often be quick to judge others. It was really interesting to watch all four of these characters develop throughout the play, and how opinions on each of them may have changed over the course of those two hours.
In Perfect Pitch, Godber has once again proven himself to be a master at drawing on the observations of incredibly ordinary individuals, its comedy often lying in the accuracy of how realistic their conversations and characters are. With strong performances, spot-on humour, and some ‘aggressive lovemaking’, Perfect Pitch is British comedy at its best – you can catch it at the New Vic Theatre until Saturday, November 2.
