Written and directed by David Lescot and performed by the Compagnie du Kaïros/Something for the Weekend Group, Dough provides dark humour over the main character’s life.
Something I loved was we see the main character from birth to the end and see how the financial thoughts and positions of this one individual change so much throughout their life. At the beginning he is so invested in the money he receives from the tooth fairy and his grandmother, but over time his interests change when having a family and the needs to support them.
At the start of the performance, the small boy gets 2000 francs from his grandmother for when he turns 18. When he eventually cashes it in when he is in his 60s, it is worth 500 euros. Ultimately, Dough is showing how the value of money is not stagnant; there is no guarantee in saving money.
Throughout the performance there is the underlying theme of the way that your family play an important role in your way on managing money. The boy’s mother had a lot of debts and his dad liked spending money. Lescot’s writing allowed us to see how this can have two different outcomes. The boy also struggles with money, whereas his brother ends up reasonably comfortable. Ultimately, this shows how the generational impact of money can have different outcomes and does highlight how the path you start on isn’t necessarily the only one you can have forever.
The performance, whilst only having three actors on stage, used vocal and physical techniques in order to portray a surplus of different characters. This allowed for the story line to be coherent on the stage. In addition, there is no set on stage and the only props used within the play is money itself. This highlights the prominence of money in the characters’ lives, suggesting that they are empty without money, and spotlights its importance in order to keep moving.
My major criticism of Dough was at both the start and the end the main character sat down centre stage on the ground. Whilst sounds like a minor point, the way that the seats are positioned meant that I was unable to see both monologues. This may be something to bear in mind when sitting down.
Overall, Dough is an interesting comedy, shining the light on issues within money, living beyond your means and the value and importance of money within society.
Dough is running at the Pleasance Dome at 13:30 until the 28th August, with the exceptions of the 14th and the 21st August. Tickets available: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/dough
Image provided to The Student as press material.