Having
A Ball
- touring
Playwright
- Alan Bleasdale
Director - David Grindley
Design - Tim Shortall
Producers - Richard Temple Productions with Birmingham Repertory
Theatre
Venue - Kings Theatre
Dates - 30 April - 5 May 2001
Reviewer -Thelma Good
Having a Ball has a great fun part, Lenny. He has the longest,
funniest nude male scenes, not one but two, played wonderfully perkily
by Colin R Campbell. Lenny capers his way through yet another
visit to a private clinic to have the snip. He's scared poor lad. But
this time he encounters Ritchie, a nasty boy he knew and tried to wipe
out back at school. Matt Andrews as the ghastly adult Ritchie
makes a good foil letting Campbell's Lenny be the highlight of the production.
Robert Duncan (Drop the Dead Donkey, Gus) is Malcom, the really
successful businessman, a character you could hate but Duncan
gives him that seductive businessman's charm he is so good at. Sara
Crowe gives life and real charm to Malcom's vodka swigging wife,
Doreen. Doreen, who would really like a classier name, wobbles around
the clinic, collapsing in a changing room to be revived when Lenny goes
there to get ready. Bleasdale's script has a lot of laughs and has been
updated to poke barbs at 4 Years of New Labour. But in the second half
the Malcom/Doreen dialogue doesn't sound plausible and needs rewriting.
The Surgeon is a woman played by Sarah Berger with that ruthlessness
and whiff of disinfectant which makes a doctor on the make so frightening.
If you like good funny nude scenes this play has two. If you want hard
hitting comedy about the tragedy of the caring side of British public
services and institutions and the cynicism needed to run their substitutes,
this isn't it, though it hints at an angry bitter humour. But I did
enjoy Colin R Campbell's performance and so did all the Grannies and
Grandpas near me!!!
© Thelma Good April 30 2001
