By Ian Judson
Renowned West End playwright James Graham has brought his new offering to Hull Truck Theatre, with a riotous comedy that will have audiences absolutely howling with laughter, there is no question of that.
The Culture, as everybody will no doubt realise, is based on what is happening in the City of Culture office, now that it is 2018, and Hull’s year in the spotlight has come to an end.
The comedy is based around Dennis, played by prolific stage and screen actor Andrew Dunn, and his wish to complain about the council not taking away certain items that he’s left outside his house in Summergangs Road, with a novel reason why they haven’t been collected.
A few misunderstandings later, he’s dealing with a government minister, as a mistaken councillor from Coventry City Council, and also balancing that with pretending to said Coventry councillor, that he is the Government Minister that has mistaken him for being in Hull as a representative of the next UK City of Culture.
With 2017 managing director Martin Green’s apparent ‘Transitional/leaving/not leaving party in full swing upstairs from where all the action is taking place, visiting dignitaries and an uncompromising cheesed off resident of Hull, mixed together with a maniacal Hull City Councillor, two totally out of control City of Culture volunteers, other office staff, including one with a more than passing interest in male dancers of a certain description, it can only lead to absolutely hilarious chaos.
Amelia Donkor does a thoroughly convincing job of her character Lizzie having possibly the most stressful day of her life, and you do genuinely care about all the characters, and how everything will turn out, with the pace absolutely perfect, and the masterful writing setting up all sorts of different situations, which keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next.
Voiceovers from Sir Tom Courtenay and Maureen Lipman are perfectly timed at different stages of the production, and the fate of Martin Green’s party cake is just a joy to behold, which left many in the audience beside themselves they were laughing so much.
It does also have its serious side, and the mood on stage is changed from one of laughing so much that I had tears streaming down my cheeks, to absolutely serious, and back to laughing like never before all within a few minutes.
The only sort of downside and you may call me a bit picky here, is that with both halves being an hour or more long, you may find yourself a bit restless, and this production is definitely not one for children, due to some of the language, and innuendo in it, particularly the incident involving a particular sort of doll, a volunteer, and the choice of music at the time.
But on the whole it is jolly excellent fun, very worth seeing, it runs until Saturday 17th February, tickets can be purchased at the theatre box office at 50 Ferensway, on the theatre website, or by ringing 01482323638, it is very recommended that you do so very quickly.
HULL ECHO 