Classic cost-of-living comedy coming to Paget Rooms in March

This comes as the Penarth Operatic & Dramatic Society (PODS) brings Dario Fo’s riotous satirical farce to the stage at the Paget Rooms in March.

Low Pay? Don’t Pay! was originally written during the economic turmoil of 1970s Italy, and despite it being more than half a century later, it still feels current.

The show follows two women who are 'swept up in protest, panic and steadfast friendship.' It is set in motion when rising prices push Antonia to make the bold decision to 'liberate' groceries during a supermarket uprising, and her friend Margherita is hilariously dragged into the fallout.

Unsuspecting husbands Luigi (Wayne Assiratti) and Giovanni (Phil Loveless) (Image: Penarth Operatic and Dramatic Society)

The pair try to keep the truth at bay by spinning more and more outrageous cover stories to their unsuspecting husbands in a bid to hide their 'liberated' goods. 

PODS said: "What begins as a spontaneous stand against soaring food costs quickly spirals into a fast-paced comedy of misunderstandings, mounting chaos, and gloriously absurd deception."

Directed by award-winning Penni Carr, the production will run from March 18 to 21.

PODS said: "At its heart, the play is a biting satire on economic injustice, political incompetence, and the widening gap between ordinary people and those in power.

"In an era defined by rising household bills, cost-of-living pressures, and headline-grabbing political scandals, the play’s themes hit home."

While the laughter comes thick and fast, it carries an edge.

Penni Carr - director of Low Pay Don't Pay! (Image: Penarth Operatic and Dramatic Society)

Dario Fo, who also wrote the internationally acclaimed Accidental Death of an Anarchist, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 for a body of work that 'emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.'

It is said that Low Pay? Don’t Pay! exemplifies that spirit, using theatre as protest, and farce as a political firecracker.

Ms Carr, known for her energetic staging and eye for ensemble performance, leads a local team of performers ready to embrace the chaos, pace, and precision the script demands, as well as the physical comedy and social commentary.

Audiences can expect 'rapid-fire dialogue, larger-than-life characters, and a series of escalating comic situations that build to a hilariously improbable climax.'

There will be a few performances of the comedy in March (Image: Penarth Operatic and Dramatic Society)

Despite the laughter, the story carries something more resonant: a story about community, resilience, and the lengths people will go to when pushed too far.

For PODS, staging Low Pay? Don’t Pay! is not just a celebration of classic European theatre but a timely reminder of the power of satire to reflect society.

They said: "As supermarket prices climb and public trust in politics wavers, Fo’s message feels less like a period piece and more like tonight’s headlines."

The play will run in Penarth from March 18-21 at the Paget Rooms.

Tickets can be purchased from the PODS website.