REVIEW: Does My Privilege Look Big in This? By Siân Lawrence at The Hope Theatre 4 – 6 September 2026

 ‘clever, and unique satire’ ★★★★

‘Does My Privilege Look Big in This? is a brilliant satire, unapologetically ruthless and an accurate depiction of the social impact of class divide.’

Jess (Siân Lawrence) and Millie (Elle Davies), childhood friends, are now about to enter adult life. Jess has big ambitions for her future, but, coming from a working class background, opportunities seem hard to reach. She hasn’t gotten into Oxford, and currently works as a cleaner. As she tries to understand what her best friend Millie finds in Hugo (Leah Aspen), her disgustingly posh and misogynistic boyfriend, she discovers a secret (or a curse?) that changes everything. Hugo and his sidekick Arnie (Molly Jones) are the perfect cliché (and it is painful to admit how accurate it is for some men) of Eton boys. They are arrogant, disrespectful, and careless. But for them, being smart, well-intended or hard-working doesn’t matter, since their privilege allows them to have anything they want, including getting into any prestigious university they wish to attend. As Jess puts it ‘[They] walk around the world in an entirely different set of shoes’. 

What starts as a light-hearted scene between the two main characters, Jess and Millie, who share a deep friendship, soon takes a black-mirror turn when Jess discovers she can access all the power of privilege by simply putting on Arnie’s jacket. 

This piece is a clever, and definitely unique satire from Siân Lawrence, who proves to be both a talented writer and performer. The fact that all the characters are only very young adults, almost children still, makes the play even more heart-wrenching: the class divide affects everyone and privilege can bring out the worst in some people. Misogyny is heavily present in Hugo and Millie’s relationship, as Hugo cheats on her, controls her and blames her for getting pregnant. The two friendships are also well depicted, as the care Jess and Millie have for one another is non-existent for Hugo and Arnie’s, as Hugo constantly belittles and bullies Arnie.

The choice of having an all-female cast makes sense and suits the feminist aspect of the piece. The scenes flow well at a good pace, the music is wisely chosen. Eilidh Evans’s vision is clear and sharp, and she manages to create a dark, ominous feeling that only deepens as the play unfolds. The set design is simple, all black furniture and costumes, and the lighting too, gets darker in the later scenes. There is comedy, but no joy. No light at the end of the tunnel to remind us that this isn’t real. The two mirrors onstage reflect Jess’ transformation as she slowly loses herself, or perhaps, in the grander scheme of things, reflects to the audience directly the sort of world we live in. 

The themes addressed in Does My Privilege Look Big in This? are tackled in an intelligent and unique manner. However, a few bits within the story could be refined. The characters’ arcs could be stronger: there is no end or resolution to Jess and Millie’s friendship, Hugo sort of disappears and Arnie isn’t present enough for us to care too much about the end of the play. Some jokes / comedy bits could be polished to be even funnier, which could help the audience care more for the characters and show how complex they are. But overall, this is an exciting and promising piece of new writing. 

Does My Privilege Look Big in This? is a brilliant satire, unapologetically ruthless and an accurate depiction of the social impact of class divide. 

Does My Privilege Look Big in This? By Siân Lawrence at The Hope Theatre 4 – 6 September 2026

Box Office https://www.thehopetheatre.com/doesmyprivilegelookbiginthis

Cast

Siân Lawrence

Elle Davies

Molly Jones

Leah Aspden

Creatives

Writer: Siân Lawrence

stage manager: Ro West

director: Eilidh Evans

co-producer: Silly Billy

assistant stage manager: Mia Batchelor

Photography Credit:  Joe Collins