WALLOP MRS COX: till 1st March

WALLOP MRS COX: Euan Rose and Laurie Hornsby
Birmingham Repertory Theatre: Box Ofice 0121 236 4455

Runs: 2hrs 40m: 20 minute interval: till Saturday 1st March 2003
Review: Ranjit Khutan: 20th February 2003

Laugh, cry, celebrate the CityIt's Birmingham, present day and we are witness to a funeral. Malcolm Boyden (from radio WM) introduces the person in the box – it's 'Mrs Birmingham: Mrs Cox'. In this impressive, well-written and researched play by Birmingham writers Rose and Hornsby, we see how she touched the lives of many of these people (a cast of 60 local actors) as we are taken back, on a history lesson, to early last century following her family's ups and downs.

Boyden narrates throughout – an onlooker but also playing his part as her husband Lenny in his middle age. His comments are illustrated by projections of photographs of the skyline - a backdrop of the famous Rotunda. We see the pride that Emily Cox has for Birmingham, and the now famous bullring markets, and how that is matched with her pride for family values. The three actresses that play Mrs Cox bring a shared strength to the role and are accompanied by other engaging performances from the younger Lenny Cox, the 'Peeky Blinder', their uncle and a more mature prostitute.

The set is industrial and there is constant change and building - from the early days of the markets, the bombing during the war and then to the current redevelopment – all symbolic of the changes that Mrs Cox's family undergo themselves during this time. A live band nests snugly in the upper part of the iron girders accompanying lively songs - songs that you end up humming to yourself afterwards such as 'Back of Rackhams' and 'Livery Street'.

The funeral that we are witnesses to at the beginning symbolises the death of the old Birmingham. Birmingham is often the butt of ridicule in many jokes - the accent, the industry and the decline – but there is nothing to be ashamed of in the old Birmingham. This play really tells us of its strong foundations that have encouraged another chapter in its life – one that, like this show, is rich in history, culture and buzzing with life.

'Wallop Mrs Cox' is a real feel good show that will make you laugh and bring a tear to your eye – wherever you are from (me? I'm from Wolverhampton). It confirms that Birmingham has its finger on the pulse, and the standing ovation that it receives, is not just for the play but for its subject matter: the City truly does deserve to be the European capital of culture.

Cast of 60+

Director: John Adams
Designer: Janet Bird
Choreographer: Beverley Edmunds
Lighting Designer: Adrian Barnes

2003-02-23 14:32:40