Rosie Holt has built up a huge online following in recent years with her sharp parody videos of a Tory MP character. Good satire walks hands in hand wirth reality and perhaps her biggest tribute is from the huge number of people fooled into thinking she was the real thing.
This play takes that original format, and twists the character into a Labour MP who becomes the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer (with apologies to Rachel Reeves!), and picks up on a real life fact and plays with the idea that it could turn into a viral incident. In the Chancellor's en suite is urinal, a symbol of the patriarchy she'd prefer to do without. But there's a problem. Churchill used to piss there so would it be an insult to national hero if it were to be removed?
The story is leaked, an interview ends badly, and immediately the media turns on her, along with the full propaganda force of the far right's social media, whipping up a frenzy of fake 'patriotism'. A Chancellor under siege. And a talking urinal, as the old war leader speaks from both grave and porcelain, along with a few other voices. Is there a strategy to turn things around?
The basic premise is sound enough, but this isn't sharp satire I had hoped for. Although sprinkled with contemporary references, there's an old fashioned feel to the script, descending into farce at times. Some of the humour seems laboured (pun intended), it's rarely hilarious.
It's certainly not all bad though. There's an effective attack on the hagiographical mythologising of WC, who truly was a racist alcoholic, and an effective demonstration of the power of social media to blow everything out of perspective. Plus a few decent jokes, especially the one about Fabricant. Holt's performance is energetic, and engages with her audience, but tends towards the chaotic at times. There's excellent support from Michael Lambourne as the vocal urinal and other voices.
Maybe it was the expectation of something akin to her viral hits that left me feeling disappointed, but I was left with the impression that a solid ten to fifteen minute sketch had been stretched a bit too far...
No comments:
Post a Comment