Colchester Fringe Festival 2025
Neil Frost: The Door
Mad Etiquette Productions
Genre: Theatre
Venue: Headgate Thetare
Festival: Colchester Fringe Festival
Low Down
Created from photographs taken in front of Nan’s kitchen door as he was growing up, this nostalgia trip speaks to us all.
Review
This highly entertaining show, based on Neil Frost’s personal memories, opens up a whole can of memories for anyone who grew up in the 1980s, even audience members like me who grew up in the 70s. The concept is simple, but highly personal. Inspired by a series of photographs taken in front of his Nan’s kitchen door, Frost recreates those pictures in a variety of costumes, sharing the memories of those occasions and his grandparents, who spent much time looking after him after her parents split up. It’s tremendous fun, and a key factor is the way he avoids corniness. It also doesn’t shy away from poignancy; all of our memories of our grandparents are tinged with sadness.
Frost is an immensely likable chap, and bounds on stage with great enthusiasm and pace, warming the audience up nicely to get us involved in his stories. The costume changes, after revealing he is an expert in mime, are quick and effective, Peter Pan being a particular favourite! But this leads him to looking for a Lost Boy, his best friend who moved away suddenly. He shares everything in thrall to the little boy he was, the growing awareness he wanted to be an actor, and the support he gets from his dad and grandparents for that. But, gently prompting the memories, as the sadness that they are no longer around, and how things look different when you become an adult.
Gently, the piece moves away from the fun of disguise as a character, ( a visit to Disneyland being another costume highlight!), to beginning his first job, smartly dressed for the first day at work, and his grandparents are then shown to us, standing in front of the church door where they stood over fifty years previously on their wedding say. This, and perfectly times answer machine messages, provides emotional content, and enables audience members to access our personal memories. I saw Formica tables and orange cupboards and my grandparents. It’s genuinely touching and provides a suitable conclusion to this beautifully structured show, delivered with energy and honesty. Presented by Mad Etiquette Productions.
