We round up the reviews for Joe Penhall’s new play starring James Corden and Anna Maxwell Martin.
Time Out: *** “It’s a decent play and opening in the middle of a general election campaign, it’s nothing if not timely, and Corden and (especially) Maxwell Martin are great. It’s not the era-defining blockbuster Corden’s two previous stage outings were. But it proves he’s an actor of range and substance, while there is simply no world in which 90 minutes in the company of Anna Maxwell Martin is a bad thing.”
Evening Standard: *** “It touches on several potentially interesting themes, on the way men struggle to adjust to life outside the military, the mechanics of restorative justice and the particular venom faced by women in the public eye, but in the most dramatically undynamic of ways.”
The Guardian: **** “Maxwell Martin is subtly brilliant, her character’s body language changing, coiled in on herself as Alec becomes more intimidating, her voice cracking even as she hides her fear to her child on the phone.”
London Unattached: “Corden and Maxwell Martin both put in strong performances with good character development, although I felt somewhat unmoved by either of them. I think this is due to the script and the constant breaking of tension with long scene changes. The only set change I wished had lasted longer was towards the end of the play when a masterstroke of musical interlude had Billy Bragg blasting out his brilliant song, Between the Wars.”
The Telegraph: *** “Corden reintroduces himself as a dialled-down funnyman and it’s good to have him back on the British stage.”
London Theatre1: *** “The production suggests that the country is in danger of hardly anybody wanting to become a parliamentarian because no amount of salary and expense claims would be enough to make up for the amount of abuse the likes of Monica receive – worse still are the threats to commit crimes against the person, and worst of all are threats against her dependent children. The play doesn’t suggest any solutions to these (beyond donning a stab vest) or to any of the other pertinent issues it raises, and in Alec’s eventual utterly bereft state seems to lie writer Joe Penhall’s own approach towards the future: what’s the point?”
Theatre & Tonic: *** 1/2 “There are certainly some interesting topics raised to evoke discussion post-performance, but I just felt like the play could have gone so much further with its debate.”
Broadway World: **** “For a myriad of perfectly valid reasons, it is easy to demonise politicians and their motives today. But after the murders of Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, along with reports of the abuse and death threats many MPs receive on a daily basis, this production is a timely reminder of the fact that some MPs literally put their lives on the line to do a job that many feel is a duty and a privilege.”
The Independent: *** “‘Motherland’ star Anna Maxwell Martin and James Corden have to battle with starchy direction and a clunky script in Joe Penhall’s new play about the threats facing MPs.”
The Upcoming: **** “Penhall’s new play, otherwise staged simply in the round, projecting settings of the home and workplace, possesses the unique semi-boast of being both deeply detailed in its presentation and yet somewhat unpolished in how it comes off. This isn’t even particularly unwelcome, as it ushers an unpretentious feel to proceedings, enhancing the realism of the project. The Constituent is an effective piece, awash with wit and fear in equal measure, a sinisterly fair reflection of a very real issue of parliamentarians’ safety.”
British Theatre Guide: “The actors are superlative, as one expects from Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland), who is good at nervy characters, and James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors; The History Boys) has been too long away from the London stage.”
The Reviews Hub: *** “To be honest, The Constituent loses its power to grip the more issue-driven it becomes. Nothing is really going to change between the two central characters and Mellor is no more than a comic punchbag.”
London Theatre.co.uk: **** “In a cynical world, Penhall’s play is notable for its empathy – a quality that Monica strives for, and which is baked into the show at a fundamental level. Fixing our system so that it supports everyone, including genuinely good MPs? That gets my vote.”
iNews: **** “Penhall and director Matthew Warchus present a highly slick, possibly too highly slick, 90 minutes, in a traverse playing space created by the addition of an imposing block of onstage seating. The script begs for the addition of a little judicious depth and breadth, to flesh out crucial backstories more convincingly.”
All That Dazzles: **** “The Constituent is a production that fires on every front – the writing, direction, and performances all complement each other to provide a fantastic watch. Though admittedly not perfect in every regard, its flaws can be overlooked when the play is looked at in its entirety.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “As a star vehicle for Corden and Maxwell Martin, The Constituent works well enough. There’s some cracking dialogue and the balance between comic and bleak is exquisitely handled, but it smacks of a very fine writer wanting to dash off something relevant and timely, without really offering anything genuinely illuminating or new. The abrupt ending is unsatisfying but, to be fair, that may be Penhall’s point: that for people in Alec’s precarious position, there is no satisfying ending.”
The Constituent continues to play at the Old Vic Theatre until the 10th August. To find out more visit: https://www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/event/the-constituent