The public’s opinion of sequels, whether it’s a reboot or a second movie, is that nothing is better than the original.
But not in this case – The Salon is back at St Helen’s Theatre Royal, and it’s better than ever.
The play follows all the craziness of Carol’s hair and beauty salon in St Helens where no two days are the same.
Hits radio presenter Leanne Campbell reprises her role as Carol alongside Hollyoaks’ Darren John Langford as Tony and Brookside’s Sarah White as Sheila.
The theatre was full of buzz and excitement for what was about to come.
The curtains opened and we meet Carol on the screen introducing the production.
The staging for the show was a split set of the salon and Carol’s living room in her apartment.
The colour scheme was mainly hot pink for the salon with the contrast of light blue in the apartment, which complimented the bubbly and easy-going flow of the play.
The sequel introduced some new characters to the salon such as Jay the useless handy man played by Joe Cowin, Dimitri Neil’s new fabulous toyboy played by the hilarious Conor Barrie and Emily Carol’s daughter played by Jenna Sian O’Hara.
Just when you thought no more drama could come to the salon, you were wrong.
The play was full of surprises, plot twists and OMG moments.
The audience were never left in boredom from the witty comebacks and one-liners to the hilarious physical acting and use of props, and of course the ever-present Scouse humour.
It’s not a play to take the kids to, because of its adult humour and strong language.
But the theatre was constantly full of audience laughter throughout the play, which was written by Drew Quayle and directed by Chantelle Nolan.
The Salon the Sequel is a must-see. You will leave the theatre with a sore stomach from laughing so hard.
It proved that sometimes the sequel can be better than the original.
Star rating out of 5: FOUR STARS
Featured image (c) Niamh McKay
