Jumpy

It’s hard to know where to place the blame for this deeply superficial, mildly amusing, production of a West End hit by April de Angelis. Certainly there are problems with the text, which not only doesn’t answer the audience’s questions, but seems unaware of them. Instead, awkwardly imposed shtick takes the place of subtext (one Burlesque dance is hilarious, two is excessive, and three is…well…desperate). There are further problems in the casting; an overbearing set that works against the text, and a lead actress who is, in fact, a brilliant TV comedian who created an iconic character, but has neither the depth nor the acting technique (and, in fairness,  there’s no reason why she should have) to make Hilary a real flesh and blood character of truth and depth.

Hilary (Jane Turner) is turning 50 and grappling with life, a boring husband, and a teenage daughter from hell (aren’t they all?). She seems to have no sense of purpose – or indeed sense of self. And yet some quick mental arithmetic shows she was 35 years old when she had her only child. So who was she before? And how does that inform who she is NOW? There are hints of feminism, of rebellion, but not even subtext to tell us what shaped Hilary for 35 years. One would expect this character to be facing a crisis by drawing on the strengths of her youthful rebellion in Thatcher’s England to deal with it. Instead, Hilary is a hapless victim… even at the mercy of the furniture (with “nudge nudge” business played to the audience). She’s not real in any sense of the word and when you contrast her entire persona with that of a truly strong mid-life character like Shirley Valentine, you see quickly that if there is any depth in Hilary, it hasn’t been realised. April de Angelis is a Feminist writer, a strong woman, so it’s hard to believe she intended Hilary to be such a wimp…even a daffy one.

Regardless of whether it’s the text, or the acting, or the direction (one presumes Ms Rabe, a superfine actress herself, discussed the character arc, trajectory and back story with the actress) it simply doesn’t work. The play is set in Walthamstow (Worfamstow), once a slum (in my time) but now gentrified. Is Hilary one of the nouveau Riche?…or a local E17 girl?…there is NO trace of an East London accent from anyone – so one wonders what dialect coach Leith McPherson did during rehearsals.

Ms Turner vacillates between a gentrified county British accent, and Australian, with a few Kath intonations thrown in. The distressing thing is that she seems to know she is out of her depth and resorts to strange expressions and a bizarre dance routine to get through.

On the positive side, Marina Prior is a revelation as good time single woman Frances…the same age as Hilary. Always a Lady in Musical Theatre, Prior throws that out of the window. She prances hilariously…but also sexily…in a leotard, does a burlesque dance with most of her ample boobs showing (who knew?) and steals the play from under Turner’s nose by being completely OTT but making it the character’s TRUTH. Brenna Harding (as teenage Tilly) shows great promise in her stage debut, as does Laurence Boxhall as her boyfriend Josh. The two are rather one-note but still interesting. Tariro Mavondo gives a lovely cameo as teenage mum Lyndsey and David Tredinnick and Dylan Watson ably round out the cast. Acting honours to John Lloyd Fillingham as Josh’s father, an actor always looking for work, who gives a beautifully measured and entirely credible performance.

At last year’s MTC 2015 Season Launch, we were all excited by the promise of this year’s programme. That is has kicked off with a production so excessively ordinary is a great disappointment, and I’m not certain that the Kath and Kim fan base is made up of enough theatre lovers to fill the Southbank Theatre.

Coral Drouyn