I tell you what, that George Bernard Shaw knows how to write a witty one-liner! This play doesn't exactly have them rolling in the aisles - being about the seedy underpinnings of modern society - but it packs in more hilarious bon mots than many other plays on the West End.
Speaking of other plays, I'm not sure when Sir Sadiq Khan passed a law saying every show in London must have a revolving stage, but it needs to be revoked. What was once an elegant and innovative way to parade your clever set, now looks like a tired trip-hazard.
But the play's the thing, right? Perhaps it is stunt-casting to have real-life mother and daughter play on-stage mother and daughter - I don't care; it works wonderfully. There's a tender viscousness between them which flowers into ragged disappointment. It is excellent. The whole cast make the most of the characters - but there's a special shout-out for Reuben Joseph who plays an utter rotter just perfectly.
For all the effort the cast put in - both in performing and balancing on the revolve - bits of the script are rather showing their age. Characters monologue at each other with alarming frequency. Their polemic is directed at the audience for having the temerity to live in an unjust world. I found the play rather equivocated on whether prostitution is justifiable. Oh, sorry, spoiler alert, Imelda Staunton plays a raddled whore and Bessie Carter plays her feminist daughter struggling to reconcile her love and revulsion.
For all that, it is a good play. Funny, timely, and asks us to confront some difficult questions. Beneath the genteel exterior is a rabid fury which shows no sign of diminishing.
The Theatre
Sadly, the Garrick needs to be torn down. Despite its recent refurbishment, it simply isn't a good space. The constant rumble of trains under the building makes it hard to hear the cast at times. The support pillars get in the way - although they do allow the theatre to offer some cheap "restricted view" seats. And, of course, there's barely enough toilet provision.
The lack of loo space wouldn't be so bad - but there's no interval in the play! Hence a long queue of (justifiably) frustrated women before the show, and a constant trickle of people leaving their seats towards the end. Frankly, it's pretty ableist to think paying customers are going to be happy to cross their legs for close to two hours. It is also fairly insulting to the cast to suggest that they won't be able to re-engage the punters after a piss and an ice-cream.
For once, the programme almost justified its price. Very few adverts and some lovely long interviews with the cast. Still a rip-off for a fiver, but less egregious than other shows.
