Maurice’s Jubilee

Excellent veterans of stage and screen, Julian Glover and Sheila Reid give this show depths the writing lacks. With no tension in the predictable plot, the meagre dramatic moments – an angry outburst, a few tears, a hackneyed impersonation – seemed to intrude on the characters’ genteel decay. So did the playwright, sitting as if ready to pounce throughout Glover’s time-polished monologue, and later delighting a handful of fans with some fancy dress mimicry.

The audience was fidgety, some left. Nicola McAuliffe’s sad drama is played for laughs. Not even the accidentally topical mention of cheap mince products seemed funny.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 27 February 2013

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