Theatre review: Being Gorgeous at the Etcetera Theatre

Middle-aged blonde bombshells The TinaMarinas channel the spirit of Loose Women

The middle-aged Tina and Marina are “two bombshell babes who come from Hull.” On the surface “they are bubbly and brash and like to pull.” Think a cross between TV’s Benidorm and Loose Women.

Created and acted by Norwich-based Beverley Bishop and Karen Hill, this hour-long cabaret invites us to look beyond the girls’ peroxide blonde hair, fake nails, tans and boobs to see how “gorgeous” they really are.

I didn’t find them especially gorgeous, personally, although the rhythmic, rhyming verse of their scripted language – full of wordplay and couplets like “hottie” and “Lanzarotte” – did have a kind of clumsy charm and revealed elements of their playfulness, warmth, humour and vulnerability beneath all that slap.

To be fair, the tightly packed audience in the Etcetera Theatre above Camden’s Oxford Arms giggled along more than happily at the entertainment, drinks in hand.

One poor guy was even invited on stage for a one minute makeover from the ladies, though he seemed to love the attention and fired back some witty banter of his own.

The TinaMarinas received Arts Council funding to expand Being Gorgeous following a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe. Next stop after Camden: the Norwich Working Men’s Club.

* The TinaMarinas: Being Gorgeous was at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden High Street, NW1, on February 20