Bazaar and Rummage is by no means a perfect play. However, Chloe France’s naturalistic and fast-paced production is pretty close to a perfect performance of it. Set entirely in one room, the play could have easily slipped into tedium but it is to the credit of the director and her cast that my attention never drooped. This was mostly down to the palpable energy of the cast who, aided by some genuinely funny lines, were all-together excellent.

For those of us that grew up with the Adrian Mole series, Sue Townsend’s work will always hold a special place in our affections and Bazaar and Rummage possesses the same kind of wry humour that made her novels so enjoyable. Revolving around a group of agoraphobics setting up a rummage sale in an attempt to reintroduce themselves to society, the main focus of the play is delving into the causes of their fears and how they attempt to overcome them. This led to one of my only gripes with this production, as the pathos doesn’t seem to be fully realised. This is especially pertinent with regards to the character of Gwenda and what seemed like a bizarre reappearance at the end. However, in my eyes that was more of a problem with the play than this particular production.

France’s direction is simple but effective. The staging, which consisted of what appeared to be hanging posts, wasn’t revolutionary but the play doesn’t rely on fancy staging or innovative lighting; its charm derives entirely from the interaction and chemistry between the characters and the director has done very well to bring this out of her cast. I was a little perplexed though by the inclusion of a song which, despite being very amusing to watch, seemed to be completely out of place with the style of the rest of the play.

This is a show that was worth watching purely for the performances demonstrated onstage. Emily Dance is hilarious as the prissy Katrina, creating genuine laugh-out-loud moments throughout the play with her impeccable delivery. Equally, Bea Svistunenko’s foul-mouthed Margaret managed to mingle the humour and sadness of her character with great skill. But the play was really grounded by a stellar performance by Helena Eccles. Entirely at ease on the stage, this was some of the best naturalistic acting I’ve seen in a Cambridge show.

It would have been nice to delve even more into the characters; something the play did begin to do, but didn’t entirely deliver. Nevertheless, Bazaar and Rummage is a thoroughly enjoyable show with some fantastic acting and it is certainly worth a watch. Not ground-breaking, but a delightful adaptation regardless.