Off West End theatre review – The Other Palace (PR/Gifted)
Written by Greg Wilkinson, produced by Oxia Productions, and fresh from two critically acclaimed and sold-out performances at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington, The Last Days of Liz Truss? has transferred to the Other Palace Studio – and will be there from 6th – 15th March.
When I mentioned to people that I was going to see this show, and the run time was around 2 hours long – they all replied ‘Wow, that is almost as long as her actual premiership’, and it was hard to disagree with them! Only 49 days long, Liz Truss’ time in Downing Street is one of the shortest in British history – a record previously held by George Canning who resigned after 119 days in 1827. This is why it is such a fun starting point for a political comedy – especially when the only character does not understand what she did wrong.
The play is a comedy about Liz Truss and her political career – and it starts with her taking the audience with her into her primary school playground, where she first learnt the word ‘shan’t’ and to never back down from an argument. Then, it progresses to her beginning in politics – bashing convention and men trying to dampen her spirit on her way through. All the while her colleagues, ex PMs, and journalists haunt the narrative through recorded quips that are played aloud – Kwasi Kwarteng and Margaret Thatcher, to name a couple. These are voiced by the very talented Steve Nallon (of Spitting Image fame) and add another level of humour to the proceedings.
The second half of the play encompasses what happened during her actual premiership: the ruinous plans for the economy, the Queen’s death, and we cannot forget the famous lettuce (which does make a cameo appearance! – cue a huge laugh from the audience). And, to bring the production up to date, there are references to the rise of Reform, and Truss’ obsession with Trump’s America too.
Directed by Anthony Shrubsall, with movement directed by Mandy Gordon, Emma Wilkinson Wright’s performance brings Liz Truss (and her Claire’s jewellery) to life. Her stooped posture, manic smile, infamous awkwardness, and sheer desperation when she delivers speeches from the lectern, are extremely well done. Whilst delivering humour, sarcasm, and tongue in cheek dialogue, Wilkinson Wright gives the character a nuance and a depth too, something that Liz Truss is not normally associated with. Wright moves around the stage fluidly, and expertly made use of the entire space.
The remarkable design by Malena Arcucci helps to make the play immersive. The set is mainly made up of a desk, a bookcase, a huge Union Jack flag, a portrait of Margaret Thatcher, and a lectern. Also, there is a screen on the back wall which mainly shows the Number 10 rose garden, but does change throughout the play to show logos of radio stations, newspapers, Donald Trump, and a list of pros and ‘deltas’ because Truss ‘doesn’t like cons’ – this adds tremendous comedic value.
With the run time being almost two hours, sometimes the show does drag slightly – so it could be improved by being slightly shorter and giving the material more room to breathe.
I absolutely love political satire and political comedy, so this show is right up my street – especially one that has such rich source material! I would recommend it to anyone who is remotely interested in British politics, or even those who just want to have a laugh about the absurdity of it all.
Written by Helena Featherstone
Notes From Row H 
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