By Russell Blackhall

THE sounds of merriment rocking round the streets of Peebles from last week, have finally faded away.

Tweed Theatre’s latest production, the romp that was “Dirty Dusting”, has finished its three day run and has been laid to rest in that Thespian Valhalla where all great shows go.

The story of the play revolves around three female cleaners, who are shortly to be laid off from the firm where they have worked for years, by a soulless, misogynistic supervisor.

They decide the marigolds are coming off and organise to run a telephone sex line from the offices they clean over their last weekend of work.

Elsie and Gladys set the tone at the start with Elsie (Val McLean) as the one of the group who is more experienced with the romantic side of life while Gladys (Elizabeth O’Raw) has led a more sheltered existence.

The third cleaner Olive (Ros Taylor) enters with the unwelcome news of imminent dismissal.

Olive, an ex-Girl Guide leader for 30 years, has the idea of running the sex line from an empty third floor office.

The jokes come thick and fast with the players’ gift for comic timing being evident from the very beginning of the play.

The interplay between the experienced, but still romantic Elsie, the naïve, but blossoming, Gladys and Olive, rather surprisingly well versed in the ways of the flesh; is neat, intricate and very funny.

The sheer, honest, vulgar energy of the production carried the audiences away on a pure, escapist tide of delight every night.

Dave (Robin Murray) brought a gleefully nasty turn to the proceedings as he outlines his plans to replace the elderly trio with “younger models”. The hysterically funny and supremely embarrassing fate that befalls the supervisor is one of the high points of the play.

Director Paula Ketterer skilfully teased out the zany and surreal edge to what was already a laugh out loud, knockabout, feel good comedic farce. Her inspired finale brought the house down in a welter of French maids and Full Monty-like stripping.

It would be remiss not to note how much better the customer experience has become in the newly-refurbished Eastgate Theatre.

More comfortable seating, useful handrails and better lighting made the three evenings of entertainment, the first shows since the upgrade, even more special.

Actors, director and crew came together to provide wonderful comic performances that gave Peebles playgoers springs in their steps and smiles on their faces.

Let us hope that the Eastgate keeps up this high level of entertainment in the future.