Lisa Allan reviews Rubber Gloves: The Glad Rags Story, written by Jennifer Currie, at Little Andromeda, Friday 18 July, 2025.
The stage at Little Andromeda in Ōtautahi Christchurch is awash with colour in the form of costumes and props and it is not long before the house lights dim and the two-strong cast of Rubber Gloves: The Glad Rags Story, cleaning paraphernalia in hand, back their way in. The show is the original creation of Jennifer Currie (writer/performer) and Trish Sullivan (performer) and is on the road after a sold-out hometown season at the Nelson Fringe Festival. At the centre of the story are two cleaners, Gladys and Beryl, that were originally conceived as a pair of roaming characters to bring extra colour to events in Nelson/Tasman. As they turn to discover us, the audience, their well-formed personalities are revealed. Gladys and Beryl relentlessly heckle members of the audience and it goes down a treat. The audience accept this in good spirits and the actors are rewarded for their approach by near constant chuckling throughout the entire show.
The show is set in a theatre that our protagonists have been tasked with cleaning. With a shrug they endow the audience as presumed art lovers who have come in early to view the stage dressing. Gladys and Beryl then proceed to make a huge mess as they reveal a long history of jobs that predate them becoming the self-proclaimed best cleaners around, playing different characters and embracing the art of ‘craptastic’. Jennifer and Trish are more than comfortable in the low-fi world they have created, resisting the cliche of a low status cleaner, instead presenting themselves as high status with unwaveringly healthy self esteem.
The show has the cheeky, homely feel of being invited over to a friend’s house to enjoy some weekend silliness in their living room. I love the hyperbole inherent in the show as Gladys and Beryl each share their increasingly impressive job histories. These are absolutely unbelievable and yet they are so matter of fact in their delivery that I believe them all the same. From owning a hair salon and being a flight attendant, to finding success as opera, ballet and TV cooking show stars, these two have excelled in every career they have had.
Running throughout the evening is a preponderance of bawdy innuendo and nonchalance that creates an overall air of innocence that is at once baffling and compelling. The show could possibly benefit from a quick step back to assess the duration of each scene and how each feeds into the whole. The characters don’t change, there is no conflict or issue to surmount, the absurdity levels don’t increase in an arc, and the piece doesn’t inspire a range of emotions in me. These are things that I appreciate as a theatre-maker. However, I equally appreciate the opportunity to question why I feel these elements are necessary because what Jennifer and Trish have created is a series of sketches brought to life by clown-like characters, playing freely so that we might rediscover the joy of imagination. And the audience are uplifted. The overall impressions I leave with are bold colours, abundant silliness, and the ability that the simple art of play has to delight others.
Rubber Gloves: The Glad Rags Story played at Little Andromeda 18 – 19 July 2025.
Flat City Field Notes 