THE MOTHER SHIP till 29 March.
Birmingham Rep and Touring.
THE MOTHER SHIP: Douglas Maxwell.
The Door (Birmingham Rep) till 15 March.
Touring till 29 March (see below).
Runs: 1h 40m, no interval.
Review: Rod Dungate, 5 March 2008.
Engaging, humorous, with a heart.
THE MOTHER SHIP is an extremely good-natured play. It’s a quirky, youthful piece, packed with energy and humour (some challenging or in bad taste – you takes yer choice and that’s the joy.)
Eliot is a stressed young man, anxious in equal measures about going to university and his virginity. On top of this his step-mother is heavily pregnant and his brother, a young man with special needs, has disappeared . . . apparently going to meet the Mother Ship which is going to take him home and make him ‘whole’ again.
Adding in a best-friend, Kevin, who’s given up swearing, an under-achieving policeman, and a feisty young, wheel-chair bound woman (Judy), Maxwell goes on to develop a knock-about farce. There are plenty of bizarre situations, witty dialogue and a witty set (design by Chloe Lamford) to match – I particularly like the helicopter sequence.
It’s a strong cast. Jonathan Bailey plays the confused and stressed Eliot – he has a natural, engaging charm. Robyn Hunt cuts a slight figure, which marvellously contrasts with her big, no-nonsense personality and ability both to drive scenes along and put people in their places. Nicholas Oldale is great value as the non-swearing (well, nearly non-swearing) Kevin.
Ben Payne directs with confidence, imaginatively staging some tricky sequences and bringing out the contract between the real world, the imagined world, and the world we would like to exist.
Eliot: Jonathan Bailey.
Gerry : Robert Ewens.
Judy: Robyn Hunt.
Lorraine: Joanne Moseley.
Kevin: Nicholas Oldale.
Macmillan: Daniel Settatree.
Director: Ben Payne.
Designer: Chloe Lamford.
Lighting Designer: Simon Bond.
Composer / Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls.
Voice Coach: Catherine Weate.
Puppetry Adviser: Mervin Millar
Touring:
Arena, Wolverhampton: 19 March, Luclow Assembly Rooms: 20 March, Traverse Theatre: Edinburgh: 25 - 29 March.
2008-03-06 10:38:57