Expect the unexpected as Mary Floppin’s catches you unawares with this monumental body of work that
“takes no prisoners” but has its audience completely captivated throughout.
From the moment she swans onto the stage, it is clear that Barton is a seasoned professional. Her
masterclass in clowning is as formidable as her character. Using hilarious mimicry and condescension, she rallies the audience into submission to participate in domestic tasks and jovial singalongs.
With its initial focus on household duties, you’d expect the intrigue to dwindle… WRONG!
Between slapstick laundry sketches and cleaning critique we are treated to a side of Ms Floppins we’ll never forget. Behind the weary and furrowed brow of our house-bound host lies a frustrated and fiery woman whose sexual needs are not being met. Ever found yourself hot under the collar from a scene where a housemaid self-satiates using various items of cleaning apparel including a toilet brush? There’s a first time for everything, I guess. In addition to her intermittent attempts to please herself, we’re serenaded with impressive dance routines, dirty hip hop, and a mind-boggling operatic vocal flex through various songs.
On a screen in the background, we’re shown glimpses of a room in complete chaos…clothes tossed all over the floor. The significance of this becomes clear as the show enters darker territory and Barton breaks her
mute state with a heart-crushing reenactment of the moment she decides to leave her toxic relationship
– the moment leads to a backscreen image of all her worldly possessions and apparel evicted from her
house, partly destroyed and strewn across the front lawn of her former home.
Needless to say there is a lot to unpack in this experience. Dirty Work is an education for men that invites
them (through playful audience participation) to be part of the conversation, whilst giving a firm middle finger to women carrying the mental load of homelife single-handedly. Barton miraculously speaks truth to power with barely a word – her physical artistry says it all in spades and we’ve no choice but to
buckle up and switch on.