“a delightfully fresh and hilarious insight into the man who thinks the civil service is an “idea for history books””
Political satire is nothing new. Wherever organised government has existed it has always been inevitable. From Aristophanes to Dante to Shakespeare, and beyond. In some parts of the globe, it can lead to arrest, and worse. Thankfully not here (for now at least). Our small screens are full of it. Newspaper cartoonists are experts at it and literature is awash with it. And, of course, theatre cannot resist it.
Neil Green’s new comedy, “DOM the play”, opens on such a strong note that we wonder where it can go from here and whether it can sustain the level of sharp observation and comedy for the next two hours. The fact that it can is not just testament to the writing, but also to the performances of the four actors who occupy the stage at the Other Palace, mere meters away from where the real-life action takes place. But Green does have an advantage: the past few years have offered up some pretty rich pickings.
“DOM the play” is not just all about Dominic Cummings. Obviously, he is the main man, but co-star Boris Johnson tries to bumble his way into the spotlight, casting his dubious and ridiculous shadow over various allies and opponents. Yet it is Cummings who comes out on top. Art imitating life? You decide.
Here’s a competition. If you were given a list of quotations, would you be able to tell which are fact and which came from the writer’s keen imagination?
Chris Porter is Dominic Cummings. Outspoken and confidant he unashamedly gives us his views and versions of events, shining a light on the Brexit shenanigans, Barnard Castle, Covid, and Boris. Porter gives a quite simply stunning performance. Tracing the journey from Boris Johnson’s key confidant to worst enemy, he portrays an impossible character, but achieves the impossible feat of making him likeable (note – any references to the real-life Dominic Cummings are objective observation – based purely on the UK media’s impartial representation of him – and not a personal opinion at all).
The show offers a delightfully fresh and hilarious insight into the man who thinks the civil service is an “idea for history books” (Cummings). The man who proclaims, “I’m not a genius – everyone else is a dick” (Green). The Barnard Castle is glossed over and brushed aside. Durham Constabulary took no action over the trip, so what’s the big deal? The “£350m million a week for the NHS” he invented was discredited. So? And Brexit? The Foreign Office couldn’t negotiate themselves “out of a paper bag” (Cummings or Green – you decide. See what I mean?)
Tim Hudson, as Boris Johnson, is equally delightful. Accusations of caricature are irrelevant when portraying an already larger than life caricature. The beauty of the performances stem from the balance of scorn and affection, and the sheer humour. Some sensitive and contentious issues are addressed, but we never forget that this is entertainment. And the joy we feel from the cast members is infectious. Rebecca Todd and David Mildon, between them, appear as Cummings’ friends and foes (mainly the latter) including David Cameron, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, Tony Blair, John Prescott, Angela Markel, Prince Andrew, Theresa May, among others. Todd and Mildon complete the quartet with an acute eye for the mannerisms and accents. Without any costume change they switch characters seamlessly and convincingly, eschewing impersonation for realism.
Michael Kingsbury’s fast paced direction propels the action without a dip. There is barely a pause for the frequent laughter to die down. The jokes are as remorseless and shameless as the characters are unrepentant. The comedy derives from its honesty. It is only when we get home that the unsettling reality seeps in. It’s funny on stage – but the carnival of buffoons exists in real life. When Cummings backed up Johnson over the post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, he stated that Boris hadn’t lied in the election campaign because he “never had a scoobydoo what the deal he signed meant in the first place”. That’s not Green’s script. It’s verbatim.
Art imitating life? Not quite. The characters might not be remembered so favourably, but “DOM the play” will surely be recalled as a triumph.
GHOSTED – ANOTHER F**KING CHRISTMAS CAROL at The Other Palace
★★★★★
“It is a rib-tickling celebration of queer culture. The Play That Goes Wrong meets Queer Eye, with a sprinkling of Have I Got News For You”
‘Tis the season of way too many Dickens adaptations, but as you can most likely tell by the subtitle, “Another F***ing Christmas Carol,” this is very much not a standard version of the Christmas classic.
Written by Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper and directed by Andrew Beckett, the team behind the celebrated adult pantomimes for Above The Stag Theatre, Ghosted may just be my favourite festive show of the year. Hilariously self-aware, it was set firmly in 2022, with pop culture references, political jokes and many, many references to queer culture.
It begins with three carol singers in period dress, holding traditional, Victorian style lanterns. They start singing a beautiful carol, until they are interrupted by Bobbi Cratchitt (played with incredible comic timing by Nikki Biddington), running in late, through the audience, wearing a bright Christmas jumper and reindeer antlers. This riotous beginning brings the story into the present and sets the tone for the whole piece. When the carol singers get chatting about their terrible boss stories (very relatable – we all have one!), Bobbi Cratchitt begins to tell us about Eloisa Scrooge (Natalie Boakye) and three queer ghosts (all hysterically camp, played by Christopher Lane) who give her a makeover on Christmas Eve. The rest of the story loosely follows the plot of A Christmas Carol, with a few surprise twists and turns.
The cast is made up of just four people, switching effortlessly between all the characters, and every member was as strong and hilarious as the rest. Although a standout moment for me was Liam McHugh, switching between playing a mother and son in the same scene. A fantastic ensemble with brilliant chemistry, who all had stunning singing voices. Their creative and sweary updates on classic Christmas carols were sung beautifully, with gorgeous harmonies, along with a hefty dose of F words, and even a few C bombs… it is certainly not a show to bring the children along!
The set (designer David Shields) is a purely white room, with very few props (Isla Rose) or set pieces, meaning a small amount of imagination was required. The costume design was very much the same, a couple of key items for the quick changes between the characters. But there were many jokes made of this, and it became a running gag throughout the piece. Paper chain decorations became the chains around “Jacob Rees-Marley”, and with a few subtle lighting (Oli Matthews) and sound effects (Joel Mulley), the stage became an office, a flat, a dining room, a beach, and even a nightclub smoking area.
It is a rib-tickling celebration of queer culture. The Play That Goes Wrong meets Queer Eye, with a sprinkling of Have I Got News For You – heart-warming, without being sickly sweet – it is exactly what is needed in the current climate, and I didn’t stop laughing throughout.
