Silly Cow

Ben Elton's play takes on the excesses of the gutter press and, by the time we reach the twists and turns of the final moments of the show, takes some interesting pot-shots at theatrical excess too. The play was first published in 1992 and is therefore an interesting snapshot of the age; I applaud the decision made by director Lisa-marie Hunt to keep to the contemporary setting and not be tempted to update the production to take in modern day tabloid habits: much was gained by offering us an interesting take on the cultural mores of recent history, rooted in a particular time and place. It's difficult to pen a report in the detail that this fine production deserves for fear of giving too much away, as a good deal of the play's appeal lies in the twists at the end; a play which appeared to be one thing had turned into something quite different by the time the curtain fell. This was another all-round winner from the Arts Club which once again highlighted the wealth of talent to be found regularly treading the boards at the Clubhouse Theatre.

The first thing of note as the curtain opened - as is so often the case at the Arts Club - was the lovingly crafted set, designed and built by members of the society: another triumph from the hard working team at the Clubhouse Theatre. The converted chapel was spot on and - again, as usual - belied the restricted space available at the bijou theatre to create a playing arena which was both cosy and intimate and warmly realistic. Lighting was subtle, unobtrusive and really helped to draw the audience in to the events as they unfolded on stage too. Together with the rest of those vital  technical touches - dressing the set, costumes, make-up etc - here was another production with an easy brilliance which is easy to overlook and take for granted, such is the high standard of the Arts Club's working practices!

Leading the cast as Doris Wallace - the poison pen wielding tabloid terror - Charlotte McConnell excelled in creating yet another vivid character to add to her formidable repertoire. I did wonder if Charlotte's endearing portrayal was a little more loveable than loathsome but I think that's a result of a clever combination of Elton's writing and Charlotte's propensity for humour! Doris was a wonderful creation and Charlotte performed superbly throughout. Loathsome tabloid editor Sidney Skinner was another of Robin Brown's thoughtful creations; Douglas the accountant was - initially at any rate - a subdued and strait-laced Tony Lewis; toy boy Eduardo was very 'street' in the hands of James Lilley and the pivotal role of Peggy was another wonderful Sarah Nolan creation: that said, as the comic proceedings revealed an unexpected twist towards the finalé, all the supporting characters were equally as pivotal as each other in springing the surprise on the audience. It is here where one has to be careful in the hope of giving a considered show report, without revealing too much for fear of spoiling the 'reveal' at the end of the production! Here goes anyway...

Essentially, as each of the supporting cast had to play themselves playing a rôle, who in turn was playing a rôle, the meta-theatrical nature of the play added a great deal to the enjoyment of the evening's entertainment. To see everyone on stage give multi-faceted performances was hugely enjoyable and gave a real boost to the production. The initial set-up was well handled and if by the end of the first half, there were a few bemused members of the audience (myself included) wondering why this uncharacteristically toothless satire (certainly given that one associates Ben Elton with rather more blunt Thatcher-bashing comic rants) on the evils of tabloid excrescences didn't seem to be particularly damning, all was made clear as the second half wound its way to its serpentine conclusion. By the end of the play, it seemed that Elton had more venom reserved for the 'luvvie' indulgences of the theatrical profession than he did for the gutter press, which was interesting. This helped to explain both the comical and forgiving portrait of the 'Queen of Spleen' in the first act and the ultimately sympathetic treatment (in my opinion anyway) of Doris by the time we reached the finale: after all, in a world where everyone is as bitter and spiteful as everyone else, it proved impossible to be able to rely on anyone to cling to for moral support. This aspect of the production was superbly done: on the surface, it appeared that the mechanics of a low-level farce had been put in place in the first act, ready to be unwound in a knockabout fashion in the second. That we got a good deal more than that is as much a testament to to the direction and the performances as it was to the script.

I have to say that there were a few niggles which were uncharacteristic of an Arts Club production: inflection, pronunciation and the general feel of an occasional scene or characterisation could be a little awry and not all of the examples could be explained away by the surprise reveal at the end. These were so few and far between however and in no way impeded anyone's enjoyment of the show; worth mentioning only in passing and more importantly, a telling reflection of the very high bar which the Arts Club set themselves. Charlotte did a superb job in bringing Doris to life and it was a joy to spend the evening in her company; Robin's transformation into a hard done-by thesp - 'fight the cuts!' - was a particular highlight for me; Peggy was a wonderful role for Sarah - an actress playing an actress playing a PA - and one which she really made the most of, in both incarnations! Tony's bravura turn was as wickedly delicious as you might expect and James gave a really solid all round performance too; someone worth keeping an eye on for the future there.

When everything comes together to create an interesting, humorous and thought-provoking evening's entertainment as it did here, nothing is more rewarding than the joy of live theatre. My thanks go to everyone at the Arts Club for a thoroughly entertaining evening and another slice of the legendary warmth and hospitality which always accompanies an evening at the Clubhouse Theatre.

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