Cracks in her veneer open up to allow the trauma out
As we see all too often, violence against women and girls remains a persistent problem. Movements such as #MeToo have brought the issue to the forefront of public debate, yet meaningful societal change remains out of reach. Theatre has a vital role to play in challenging this status quo, telling stories that hold a mirror up to the society that creates them. Charlotte Ashton’s Dolly looks to do just that, writes Christopher Peacock.
Dolly, a waitress at a Tex-Mex restaurant by day and stand-up comedian by night, has her life horrifically and brutally changed when she is raped by a stranger on her way home from work. The play unfolds as a mix of stand-up routines and short scenes, all the while a live-stream camera feed pointing at the audience and manipulated by Dolly is used to highlight poignant moments in the show. We hear in detail the events of that fateful night and all that unfolds afterwards. Everything from the cold bureaucratic process of the reporting and criminal investigation, the sessions of therapy and the tumultuous strains it puts on her and her partner Paul. We watch on as an act of sexual violence by a stranger on a woman unleashes its broad range of devastation on her life and on those around her.
Prior to the rape, Dolly had already been sexually assaulted by customers at the restaurant and then by her “work husband”, who had forced himself on her in the walk-in fridge. These moments, however, are passed off as a ‘normal experience for a woman’. What we are made even more so aware of through the show is that violence against women and girls consistently goes unpunished, highlighted by the stat shared on the screen at the back of the stage showing that of 74,484 rape offences, as of June 2026, only 3.4% of them resulted in charges or a summons.
Jessica Clark’s performance is bright yet haunting. We see the mask of Dolly’s persona slip through the duration of the show as cracks in the veneer open up to allow the trauma a route out; how Clark handles that transition is testament to their skill as a performer. A powerful performance, guided with direction from Anthony Biggs and in collaboration with Charlotte Ashton, they have created a one-woman show balanced with humour and heavily punctuated with the realities we are confronted with in regard to violence against women.
Theatre is such a visceral form of artistic expression; the words produced from the mind of the playwright can be developed in concert with directors, designers and performers to become something that leaves an indelible mark on the audiences who have the chance to take it in, and Charlotte Ashton’s Dolly is certainly one of those.
Omnibus Theatre until 7 November.
Booking and full details: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/whatson/dolly
