Hobson's Choice

Hobson’s Choice was first performed in 1916 and for a show that’s 101 this year it’s not looking half bad! A feature I really liked about this production is how nobody has tried to mess around with it too much which really showcased how it’s stood the test of time and become the much-loved favourite which it still remains today.

The ages of some of the actors were not an example of desirable casting for the roles they’d been given. Although the individuals gave first rate portrayals, the best of the night in fact, they did present a few moments of disbelief as we were required to stretch our imaginations a little further than what I’d consider comfortable. Furthermore, should the script then expose the characters age, if it’s not believable with the actor/actress playing the role, change it or it will (as it did) ridicule the moment. 

Colin Magenty’s Hobson is exactly as you would imagine a drunken middle class, full of his own importance, man of the late 1800’s. Colin portrayed bumbling brilliance and certainly got the laughs in the earlier scenes as he searched for the right words as come backs to his eldest daughters nagging. As the show progressed, the degree of pauses and holding for thought did begin to hinder the pace a little and started to suggest that this maybe wasn’t a character choice as much as it was an actor trying to recollect his next line, regardless of this, the appeal and comic delivery must be commended with high merit as this character’s celebrated vile nature and horrendous comments were received with joyous approval.

The rightful lead of this show was given a more ‘softly softly’ execution than what’s usually offered. Suzanne Kinghorn’s approach of the fearless Maggie worked as an inwardly determined and manipulative woman with subtlety in her act which could certainly be achieved in a performance with a close-up presentation such as in the intimate PADOS House Studio. Her original approach to the mammoth Maggie was not so original that it led the performance off course against the others it was a well gauged and modest act, relaxed and easy to take in.

Also a standout feature of the evening was Ian Taylor’s Willy Mossop. The insecure nature was exposed and terrifically turned around in Act II after Maggie had literally made a man of him. Another brilliantly tailored portrayal who engaged high interest throughout his performance.

Offering a fine cameo highlight was Jason Dunk’s Dr MacFarlane, a short lived yet highly entertaining scene with the utmost credit to Jason who’d evidently injected his performance with a lasting and favourable impression. 

A lot of the other characters are pretty two dimensional in the way they’re written and the actors who carried out these roles gave respectable credit to the text rightly allowing - as no doubt would have been instructed by Brighouse himself - the three principals to take the bulk of the audience’s attention.

The scenic design had not been made too fussy and supported the presentation as I’m sure Director John Flay intended, it didn’t swamp the cosy performance space yet was ample enough in dressing the space and informing us where we were and when we were with modest amendments to convert Hobson’s shop floor (where we spend the majority of the play) into a basement flat for some of Act II.

I think we forget sometimes that it is not necessarily the duty of good theatre to be ground-breaking and original. Most people, initially, visit the theatre these days for nothing more than to enjoy it rather than to gain political enlightenment for example. Therefore, I found it really quite refreshing to sit back and simply take in a re-creation of a traditional piece.

This production had not been over thought or pioneeringly analysed, it is an honest and traditional delivery of an established classic. Thank you!

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