From the mind of writer and performer Keelan Kember comes an effortlessly clever, laugh-out-loud exploration of what truly gives art value in a world where capital is king. Da Vinci’s Laundry wisely drops us right in the thick of it, as high-end art salespeople Milly (Arsema Thomas) and Christopher (Kember) stand on Hammersmith’s iconic Riverside Studios stage staring at a multi-million-pound Da Vinci painting, slowly concluding that it might just be a fake. What follows is a hilarious, albeit at times indulgent satire that wittily pokes fun at the commodification of art and the vapidity of high society.
The first merit of note is Ellie Wintour’s set design. Although seemingly bare and minimalistic, the set astutely feeds into the satire, creating a clinical, soulless and believably pretentious space. Wintour and director Merie Wheldon smartly neglect to show us any artwork at all, other than one particularly funny modern piece, and simply ask us to take their word for it that these paintings are both authentic and valuable because the art world deems them so. It’s also hard to overstate just how funny the show is. Kember’s script is full of surprises, sharp commentary, snappy back-and-forths and brilliantly unhinged non-sequiturs.
Steve Zissis delivers as the boisterous, aggressively American foil to our tragically British main duo, and while not all of his jokes land, the execution conveys both a riotous bullishness and some surprising heart. Kember’s performance is a comedic highlight of the show, expertly working to balance the humour, tension and heart of the project while never failing to be thoroughly entertaining as the perpetually overwhelmed poshboy Christopher. John Albasiny gives a delightfully hammy showing as Boris, a Russian mobster trying to use art as a tool to walk the well-trodden path from oligarchy to British high society. Our two other performers have funny moments, but are less served by the writing. Thomas’ Milly more than holds her own, easily playing the familiar comedic straight-woman and moral compass of the cast, but her character feels undercooked and is absent for some of the funnier set pieces. Fayez Bakhsh’s Prince is imbued with a fun, menacing charisma but ultimately serves a limited purpose onstage.
Other issues with Da Vinci’s Laundry are minor but still present, such as an over-reliance on certain character gags and a few bloated monologues that muddy the impressively high comedic hit rate. The characterisation can sometimes lean too far into cultural caricature, going beyond the intentional satire, and the ending feels a bit anticlimactic after such an engaging build-up. One could also come away feeling that some of the longer monologues and an arbitrary romantic subplot could have been cut to serve a few of the characters.
Overall, Da Vinci’s Laundry is a clever culture clash comedy classic, with a great cast and crew utilising their effortless chemistry, sharp dialogue and a mixture of giddy, erudite satire to leave the Riverside Studios crowd in constant fits of laughter.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
