Deliciously bad manners

Florence Foster Jenkins was an heiress, socialite, and probably the worst soprano who ever lived. Isadora Duncan was a genius who revolutionised the world of dance.

In Judith Paris's play, these middle-aged egomaniacs meet at a benefit concert in New York during Word War I and the stage is set for a comedy of mutual incomprehension and deliciously bad manners.

It's a fun evening but the play lacks shape. Since the principal joke is that the women talk at, rather than to, each other, it makes for a somewhat aimless piece. Director Matt Ryan handles the gear-changes from dialogue to monologue with a bit too much clunkiness.

But the performances are joyous and compensate for the lack of structure. Valda Aviks plays Jenkins as a mumsy bourgeois monster, and does the 'bad singing' with aplomb. Adele Anderson (from Fascinating Aida) is superb as the haughty, histrionic Duncan, her blank stare when faced with the appalling caterwauling of Jenkins a glorious sight to behold.

Until Sun, Rosemary Branch Theatre, 2 Shepperton Road N1, Thu and Fri 8pm, Sat 7pm, Sun 4pm, £12.50, £10 concs. Tel: 020 7704 6665. Tube: Old Street

When Florence Met Isadora