The Last of the Haussmans

p. s. This was still a very funny play in parts, and the dialogue starred with wit. I particularly want to underscore what I only left implicit - all performances were good, the three leads truly outstanding. Some praise Walters most, some McRory, some bracket Kinnear with McRory, for obvious reasons. Invidious: they all excelled as much as the dramatist let them, which was quite a lot. McRory perhaps wrings the damaged love most of all. Walters is magnificent though is reprising a role (with some nuance and history) and I have a sneaking suspicion that Beresford wrote (was Nick Hytner dropping hints?) to entice her back to the theatre with something she could work with and which fitted one of her personae like the tired nightie she disports on stage - her performance was of course blisteringly tight. Kinnear truly works on self-pitying snarls which pushes him far from his Hamlet of October 2010. And ALL lust for the pool-cleaner. The brother-sister tussle over who has him is undercut by daughter Summer's disgusted discovery of McRory clinching it. One should recall the boy comes back for the final scene, in a shiny suit, and says he owes a lot to her: she's been more successful seducing him into a son than with her own daughter (who returns to her father). Remembering that, makes me think that Beresford himself has thrown some delicious details in like that, that we miss in the sprawling magnificence of the egos on display. That's the characters' egos of course. So I really would like to see what he does next.

Beresford has been very lucky with his first play, straight from his Goldsmith NT stint as actor. Superb set and direction. Walters neatly avoided the easing back into theatre as Brenda's mum writ large (Dinner Ladies). I agree with those who found Kinnear's jibe that his mother was 'wanking into a chrysanthymum' somewhat challenging for Walters (frig perhaps, it really was lax from an otherwise excellent coiner of one-liners). Too many aunt Sallys, and too many sallies to and fro for this somewhat plotless character-driven Cox Orchard piece. Chekhov sprawled with incredible tautness. The strings are false: this doens't bear the weight of the 'failed' sixties or even the revolutioanry failures, let alone the sixties' permanent legacy which Nick (Kinnear) the son can guiltlessly enjoy. Don't buy the essential coup since McRory cant sell on equity release to an individual which sets up the catastrophe. Some superb endings (McRory tipping her mother's ashes over the cowardly treacherous doctor and announcing the title of the play) but not the right one. The right one comes just after this, five minutes before the end. The son's making a last raid on the surrendered house, discovering an ususpected occluded drinks cabine: Sound of splintering wood. and from within 'Now at last we're making progress.' That's where it should have ended and each act (as Michael Billington said) could have been pruned five minutes. Losing Act Three altogether as some suggested on the Guardian site is too harsh, but only just. There's none of the masterly, manic plotting that made Collaborators (Nicholas Hodge) such a joy or even that neatness and equal cleverness of Nicholas Wright's Travelling Light. Beresford should revise it and earn his luck a bit more. His second play though would be worth seeing. His strength lies resoundingly - as you'd hope in an NT actor - in dialogue and character, so two out of four. Plots and clearly ambivalent (not muddling) themes next please. And the Sixties did make us more tolerantly human. Thatcher didn't win entirely: Clause 28 is out for good and despite Hunt we won't get 12 weeks limit on abortion. Perhaps the true Tory victory is Tim W in the Telegraph telling us we're all as Beresford says post-political. What? Beresford as far as he's buying into this, is selling us a lie. It's just that on many issues, the bad guys won - for now. There's always an Arab Spring waiting in the north, if not in Plymouth - now Beresford's scorn there did score. I don't know how much it changed from preview on June 13th to the final live screening I missed tonight October 11th (foiled by the bi-weekly unreported suicide under train at Gatwick, so much for post-political), but I hope somewhat.

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Fantastic set and wonderful performances. Thoroughly enjoyed this witty and absorbing play. Julie Walters is in her element and supported by two incredible performances from Helen McCroy and Rory Kinnear. There are lots of laughs as they fly though the script and McCroy plays the single mum perfectly, you fully empathize with her frustration’s and at times despair. The play is a really great night out and should not be missed!

This rather dreary play will put bums on seats because of the actors Julie, Rory and Helen so good luck to the National but I do wish they would spend their money on new plays with a difference. This play is old hat but it does have a great set.