Shear Madness
For this production, the team at The Mill at Sonning have transformed their stage into a hair salon. So when you enter the auditorium, Daniel Cane’s Tony is already styling a customer’s hair, and Rosaleen Burton’s Barbara is also busying herself around the salon. The action starts straight away, and the audience already feels part of it. Which is just as well, given what happens over the course of the next hour or so before the interval!
The Shear Madness salon is decked out in bright colours, complete with pink leatherette chairs, the hairdressers Tony and Barbara are equally flamboyantly dressed and coiffed!
Shear Madness, by Paul Portner, is a long-running international hit that the Mill team have adapted and updated. So now we have a salon in Henley, references to the Wargrave Players, Didcot, the Regatta, Reading FC, and even a local law firm! We also have references to Tony having appeared on The Great British Sewing Bee, and fashioning his own purple aprons (to match the wallpaper!), and a voiceover from local resident Debbie McGee. The night we were there, there was even a reference to Taylor Swift’s imminent nuptials! I especially chuckled at Nick O’Brien’s entrance in hard hat and high vis at a key moment to YMCA!
The theatre has fully embraced the theme. The restaurant has themed desserts, and pre show announcements as well as interval announcements, are all deliciously on theme, along with the police tape in the restaurant, and front of house staff dressed appropriately. The experience is excellently maintained.
At this stage I should mention the restaurant. Over the last year or so, The Mill has upped its game on this front. The restaurant has been transformed and is a welcoming, attractive space. But the food has also been transformed. This menu, from new caterers, was really excellent. The sea bass in particular stood out, to all of us at our table, who enjoyed it. The staff are all well trained and attentive, and you never feel rushed, even though the job of getting everyone served and ready to start the show on time is obviously a priority. It’s a lovely start to any evening.
So to the play itself. If it were just a scripted play, Shear Madness might come across as a bit old fashioned. But, it’s not about the play. This is a play that starts off scripted, but then the house lights come up, and at that stage, we, the audience have to start working for our supper too! There has been a murder, and we can no longer be a passive audience, and instead need to help solve it. At one stage a member of the audience is invited on stage to make a phone call, and we’re all invited to question the suspects etc to help catch the killer.
This is when the cast really come into their own. Every member of the cast maintains character throughout the improvised parts at the end of the first half and throughout the second half. It’s brilliantly done.
The cast are all strong. Rosaleen Burton, Daniel Cane, Gwithian Evans, Jonathan Markwood, Natalie Ogle and Paul O’Neill have clearly been rehearsed by Director Sally Hughes extremely well, and are tight and keep in character throughout. The ad libs and audience participation keep them all on their toes. Also, both Daniel and Rosaleen are working with props - washing hair, running water, styling hair etc - that actors don’t usually have to contend with, but manage to make it look like this is just part of their day jobs! There are no weak links here, and the cast work really well together.
As well as the excellent direction, the design of the salon by Alex Marker, also deserves special mention.
For me, the scripted scene setting part of the first half was maybe slightly too long. Once the house lights came up, and we became involved in solving the murder and watching characters retrace their steps (or throw in the red herrings), things positively zipped along. Because of the way this play is constructed (or arguably de-constructed) every performance is likely to be different, and there are obviously at least 4 different murderers. And possibly a multitude of motives or explanations. What sets this apart is the exceptional improvisation skills from the cast.
My companion and I arrived at the theatre after a tough working week, but we thoroughly enjoyed this. We ate a delicious meal, and laughed and laughed throughout the evening. It was an absolute tonic. And we were clearly not alone. This is not a passive audience experience, it’s one where you eat together, but then work together to solve the crime. We left still chuckling and smiling.
This show was reviewed on Friday 3rd July 2026 at The Mill at Sonning where it runs until the 15th August 2026. Tickets available here: Shear Madness - Mill at Sonning
Review written by Ruth Hawkins
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Photo credit : Pamela Raith
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