Zoe Chapman’s zany comedy play, The Doctor Will See You Now, is certainly high on diversity. There’s the lesbian couple expecting a baby. A man on crutches who can’t speak more than a couple of words of English, and a busy woman who has brought along her trans son for his colonoscopy. And that’s in one waiting room.
Why all these people are in the same outpatient clinic is never fully explained, waiting a long time with just one nurse/receptionist to keep the peace. Sometimes the message is subtle, about the failures in the health service of delays, missed appointments, and ridiculous paperwork. Often it is lost in a flurry of farcical situations and shouting. Later in the show, the appearance of a new character dressed as a banana adds little.
Director Erin Chen doesn’t quite bring out the humour in The Doctor Will See You Now, and allows the improbable to overshadow the possible. Absurd comedy should be uproariously funny and beautifully timed, but now and then I felt the pacing was rushed and purposeless.
Laura Pellicano (Nurse) and Delphine Eudora (Mari, the mother) have very different acting styles but perhaps register the strongest in their respective roles. Pellicano’s rushing around to cover staff absences and Eudora’s barely disguised disdain for everything around her raise laughs.
Leo Lai offers a lot of unspoken amusement and double takes during the performance. Notably, after leaving on crutches, he was sent on a pointless chase, returning to the same spot. Then there’s Lee Hatsumi Mayer, playing the trans son who is so hungry he can almost eat another patient. His salivating over cookies and attempts to break his fast are very funny.
The Doctor Will See You Now feels very much like a hospital sketch that outstays its welcome. Chapman certainly has the skill and the invention to conjure up the waiting room from hell. The set decoration with its slightly outlandish posters is good, but the total show is sometimes more of an endurance than a pleasure, and that’s a shame.
2.5 stars.
The Doctor Will See You Now was part of Camden Fringe from 13-15 Aug.