IN less than a week the Eastgate Theatre’s first play since its extensive refurbishment opens for a three day run.

Tweed Theatre’s Peebles premiere of Dirty Dusting is an ideal opportunity to blow away the oncoming autumn blues.

Playgoers are advised to leave their sensibilities at the door, sit back in the newly refurbished, comfy seating and enjoy a full- on tale of women who decide to strike back against the patriarchy, in the shape of Dave, their immediate boss and the man who put “perv” in supervisor, and his corporate bosses.

The comic story of their secret sex phone line endeavours is guaranteed to make the dreary daily round of Brexit, backstop, backbiting and baloney fade into the background, at least for the length of an evening of bellylaugh humour.

Amongst the froth and farce, serious issues are covered in this piece of theatrical Viagra – ageism, sexism, the strength of female relationships and corporate bullying– but, unashamedly, the main point is to laugh out loud as the group of women cock a snook at the world and take a solid grip on their own futures for once in their lives.

Director Paula Ketterer has fashioned a striking work of raunchy fun from this tale of downtrodden, but irrepressible, cleaners fighting the system.

She is ably assisted by the stellar cast of Val McLean, Elizabeth O’Raw and Ros Taylor strutting their varicose-veined stuff, and Robin Murray as the tyrannical overseer Dave.

The radically overhauled Eastgate Theatre now boosts a significantly better viewing experience for all its audiences with helpful lighting, hand rails, better seating and improved sight lines . How appropriate that its first drama event of the new age is exuberant, raunchy, laugh out loud, and life affirming.

The show’s finale promises to rock the auditorium to the foundations (especially bearing in mind its previous incarnation as a church) and send playgoers out onto the evening byways of Bonnie Peebles singing, humming, giggling and dancing and , maybe, with a twinkle in their eyes. The play proves, as Elsie says, “…there’s life in the old dogs yet.”

Dirty Dusting is at the Eastgate Theatre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 12, 13 and 14 at 7.30pm.