one4review | On 13, Aug 2014

If this is how politicians truly are, then it’s a scary world we live in. Though the blurb might suggest an affinity between the current London mayor and one of the characters in this play, bumbling geniality is shown here to be merely a mask for hidden depths of scheming, manipulation and political game-playing. And any lingering links in your mind with anyone from real-world politics are quickly dispelled, because it’s the dark side – the one we don’t usually get to see – which this play exposes.
The writing is very good, nothing flags or feels weak, and all three actors play their parts excellently. The structure – a fraught conversation between three politicians deciding the future of the party leadership – intersperses short monologues throughout, which serve to give a little more insight into each character.
I imagine audiences for this show are likely to already have a degree of political awareness, and this play reinforces the notion of politicians as unscrupulous manipulators (or possibly, ours aren’t like that). It isn’t a compliment to our current politics.

Reviewed by Laura

Pleasance Courtyard, 15:00