Grumpy Old Women Live 2 - Chin Up Britain *** TNT

Their waistlines have thickened and the wrinkles have multiplied, but there’s still a lot of life and hope left in these three women of a certain age as they rage and rampage around a colourful kitchen set.

The precursor of this spin-off from the TV show hit the stage four years ago, and, with various casts, has toured both nationally and internationally (including a visit to Oz) speaking out for the hot-flush but not yet carpet-slippered brigade of middle-aged women.

Co-scripted by Judith Holder and comedian Jenny Eclair (one of the original performers and the most uninhibited of the trio) it calls on women get the nation back on track with a variety of unlikely suggestions, whilst complaining about embarrassing leaks, the length of the Christmas holidays and snoring, ageing partners with droopy genitals.

Though high on energy, there’s barely a suspicion of subtlety in this sequel and a tendency to labour the humour. But, every so often, this Grumpy Brigade (Eclair plus the more refined Susie Blake and comparative youngster Wendi Peters) hits just the right comic note – ruefully observing that looking in the mirror is like seeing your dad in drag, likening sex to making your own pastry (“you know you should, but you don’t know if you can be bothered”), and dealing with tampons when you’re not only menopausal but also very, very forgetful.

At their best, (and if you’re in the right age group) they can be pant-wettingly funny. For the rest of us, a drink or two beforehand is all that’s needed to compensate for a lack of bite and ensure an enjoyably uncomplicated evening in the company of three women who steadfastly refuse to grow old gracefully.

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