★★★★☆
Da Vinci’s Laundry follows two art dealers as they try to authenticate a Leonardo da Vinci painting. Written by and starring Keelan Kember, directed by Merle Wheldon, the art dealers Christopher (Kember) and Millie (Arsema Thomas) are in the Russian mountains trying to figure out whether it is ethical for them to sell a Da Vinci painting that is most likely a fake. The painting belongs to a Russian businessman, Boris (John Albasiny), who supposedly works in aluminium, but the sources of his enormous wealth are clearly criminal. Along the way, they meet Tony (Steve Zissis), an American “fixer” who buys assets for his client, an Saudi Arabian Prince (Fayez Baksh), who is also interested in the painting. Tony is the loud American beside the dainty, overly polite Brits. Tony convinces Millie and Chris to come to lunch with him. There, he tells Chris why he is in the business of fixing and how he believes that something is going on between Chris and Millie, despite Millie having a boyfriend at the time.
During this time, Boris procures the certificates that state the painting is an authentic Da Vinci. Through humorous shenanigans, it is overwhelmingly clear that the painting is a fake. Millie and Christopher refuse to sell the painting as it would put their reputations on the line. Boris doesn’t take this so well and instead forces Christopher to sell the painting. The fake Da Vinci is sold to the Prince. When Tony discovers the painting is truly a fake, he urges Millie and Christopher to confess to the Prince, and they hatch a plan to get the Prince’s money back.
The play is comedic and fast-paced, with sharp, witty dialogue that is well performed by the entire cast. The play balances its comedic and heart-warming elements seamlessly. The jokes are smart and highly impactful the audience was laughing throughout the run time. The set and costume design are crisp and tastefully done by Ellie Wintour, who helped bring the world to life with a clinical white setting. The artwork design crafted by Martha Hegarty are fantastic and aided in the humour of the piece.
There are some minor quirks in that some of the characters’ motivations do not align with their actions, nor with what they say, to further the plot. The character Tony, at first, is unconcerned with whether the painting is fake and wants to buy it regardless, yet later on, within the play, he convinces Millie and Christopher to tell the Prince the truth about the painting’s authenticity. Although the play tries to explain this change of heart from the character, it is unconvincing as to why this character would care about the painting’s authenticity.
What the play is truly dealing with, though, is how important perception is in our current world. It deals with the concept of credibility and what it means to be authentic, especially when it comes to your reputation. Millie and Christopher must grapple with credibility, as selling a fake Leonardo Da Vinci painting could easily ruin both their careers. Boris, the Russian crime boss, wants to sell the painting to get his son access to a prestigious boarding school in England.
Da Vinci’s Laundry is a humorous play poking fun at an art world where everything is art and nothing is art at the same time. Superbly acted and, at times, endearingly sweet, Da Vinci’s Laundry is worth the ticket purchase.
Da Vinci’s Laundry will be performed at Riverside Studios until 25 August.
Words by Ayomide Asani
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.