Cahoots Theatre Company in association with Park Theatre
Dead Sheep
by Jonathan Maitland
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea
Tuesday 13th to Saturday 17th September 2016
Dead Sheep
by Jonathan Maitland
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea
Tuesday 13th to Saturday 17th September 2016
I’ll be the first to confess that the subject of politics is something I tend not to discuss much; I rather prefer to keep my somewhat limited political views to myself and will quietly sit on the fence watching everyone else battle out their opinions. The thought of going to see a play about it, I readily admit, was not top of my list of things to do on a night out and especially on this particular evening, which happened to be one of September's warmest night’s on record.
Dead Sheep follows the days leading up to the demise of Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who’s icy stare could, without question, chill the hottest of audience members to the bone with just one glance. Jonathan Maitland’s play takes us back to 1989 and cleverly recreates the build up of Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech, which ultimately brought Margaret Thatcher’s reign at Downing Street to a dramatic end.
What I enjoyed about this play is that it is not just about the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Geoffrey Howe; as Maitland himself explains, “This is not another Thatcher drama. Rather, it’s a portrait of two types of marriage.” Elspeth, Howe’s wife, clearly played a huge part in the drama that was to unfold. A fiery and confident feminist she was not averse to confronting the Prime Minister’s views and was a staunch campaigner for the homeless, something that she believed Thatcher should have dealt with.
Dead Sheep follows the days leading up to the demise of Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who’s icy stare could, without question, chill the hottest of audience members to the bone with just one glance. Jonathan Maitland’s play takes us back to 1989 and cleverly recreates the build up of Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech, which ultimately brought Margaret Thatcher’s reign at Downing Street to a dramatic end.
What I enjoyed about this play is that it is not just about the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Geoffrey Howe; as Maitland himself explains, “This is not another Thatcher drama. Rather, it’s a portrait of two types of marriage.” Elspeth, Howe’s wife, clearly played a huge part in the drama that was to unfold. A fiery and confident feminist she was not averse to confronting the Prime Minister’s views and was a staunch campaigner for the homeless, something that she believed Thatcher should have dealt with.
Steve Nallon, (above) who most will remember as the voice behind Mrs Thatcher’s Spitting Image puppet, plays her to perfection: the look, the stare, the voice, the walk, the ever present handbag (what did she keep in there I wonder?) all played so convincingly that as the play progressed I didn’t even consider the fact that this role was being played by a man.
However, despite all the Spitting Image/Thatcher hype that has been used to promote this production, the play's focus is predominantly on Geoffrey Howe and the almost Lady Macbeth type resolve and determination of his wife, Elspeth.
However, despite all the Spitting Image/Thatcher hype that has been used to promote this production, the play's focus is predominantly on Geoffrey Howe and the almost Lady Macbeth type resolve and determination of his wife, Elspeth.
Paul Bradley (Eastenders, Holby City) plays Howe with adorable humility, as a man who is torn between two very strong women and who as Dennis Healey was to comment, “…being attacked in the Commons by Howe is like being savaged by a dead sheep.”
Carol Royle (Bergerac, The Bill, New Tricks), portrays Elspeth Howe with steely conviction and has wonderful stage presence. Both parts are played beautifully and compassionately by these two talented and experienced actors.
In fact this play has a wealth of experience in its players, not least with Graham Seed, best known for playing Nigel Pargetter in the radio series The Archers for 27 years, as well as too numerous to mention tv, theatre and film roles. He takes on no less than four roles within the play which include the ever loyal, Ian Gow and also Nigel Lawson.
Likewise, Christopher Villiers and John Wark who both take on a myriad of personalities in the tripling/quadrupling up of roles. Wark’s take on Brian Walden was particularly impressive and Villiers’ as a pompously sexist, Alan Clark, brought back memories of my times as a secretary in the late eighties and early nineties. I also have to point out one impressive scene, involving the cast making numerous telephone calls in an attempt to arrange a meeting with Thatcher, which was brilliantly executed.
Carol Royle (Bergerac, The Bill, New Tricks), portrays Elspeth Howe with steely conviction and has wonderful stage presence. Both parts are played beautifully and compassionately by these two talented and experienced actors.
In fact this play has a wealth of experience in its players, not least with Graham Seed, best known for playing Nigel Pargetter in the radio series The Archers for 27 years, as well as too numerous to mention tv, theatre and film roles. He takes on no less than four roles within the play which include the ever loyal, Ian Gow and also Nigel Lawson.
Likewise, Christopher Villiers and John Wark who both take on a myriad of personalities in the tripling/quadrupling up of roles. Wark’s take on Brian Walden was particularly impressive and Villiers’ as a pompously sexist, Alan Clark, brought back memories of my times as a secretary in the late eighties and early nineties. I also have to point out one impressive scene, involving the cast making numerous telephone calls in an attempt to arrange a meeting with Thatcher, which was brilliantly executed.
One thing that pleasantly surprised me was the amount of humour in this production and there were certainly laughs aplenty. One in particular having the audience chuckling with a cheeky satirical nod, dare one say, to Robin Cook and Neil Kinnock from that era and perhaps now-a-days to Jeremy Corbyn, when referring to never trusting a politician with a beard, especially in the Labour Party and wryly suggesting that they should stick to ginger and bald, which is bad enough! References made to Europe in the play were also received with knowing laughs from the audience in light of the relevance of the recent Brexit vote.
The set, which, in a most simplistic but effective way becomes the Commons, as well as Cabinet Rooms and the residential dwellings of the Howes and Thatchers, is constantly dominated by a large photographic portrait of Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet Ministers - a continuous reminder of Thatcher’s superiority.
Ian Talbot OBE has given this play a wonderful fluidity and has brought out the humour as well as the solemnity of the piece, which keeps the audience constantly intrigued. Whether or not you were around at the time to remember this dramatic part of history makes no odds as this is a piece of theatre that is brilliantly acted and compelling and which I think everyone can enjoy regardless of whether you are interested in politics or not. I suppose we will never really know what went on behind closed doors during that time but Jonathan Maitland’s imaginings have certainly given us food for thought in this cleverly written and thought provoking production.
For tickets call 01702 351135 or go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk
The set, which, in a most simplistic but effective way becomes the Commons, as well as Cabinet Rooms and the residential dwellings of the Howes and Thatchers, is constantly dominated by a large photographic portrait of Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet Ministers - a continuous reminder of Thatcher’s superiority.
Ian Talbot OBE has given this play a wonderful fluidity and has brought out the humour as well as the solemnity of the piece, which keeps the audience constantly intrigued. Whether or not you were around at the time to remember this dramatic part of history makes no odds as this is a piece of theatre that is brilliantly acted and compelling and which I think everyone can enjoy regardless of whether you are interested in politics or not. I suppose we will never really know what went on behind closed doors during that time but Jonathan Maitland’s imaginings have certainly given us food for thought in this cleverly written and thought provoking production.
For tickets call 01702 351135 or go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Ask the Audience
Sonia, Westcliff
“I do like a drama and I’d heard that this play was amusing as well as political. I thought my friends would like it so I got them tickets as a birthday present. I would say to people, come and enjoy it whether you’re politically minded or not.”
Carol, Westcliff
“It was like a trip down memory lane for me. All of the cast were sterling. Steve Nallon as Margaret Thatcher was amazing. I love the way it’s been brought to the stage.”
“It was like a trip down memory lane for me. All of the cast were sterling. Steve Nallon as Margaret Thatcher was amazing. I love the way it’s been brought to the stage.”
David Breen, Westcliff
"I thought it was a great play, very slick considering the subject matter and enjoyable even if you didn't live through or have an interest in politics from that time. I thought it was a shame they didn't publicise the cast more as I knew several of the actors and had assumed it was a one man show."
"I thought it was a great play, very slick considering the subject matter and enjoyable even if you didn't live through or have an interest in politics from that time. I thought it was a shame they didn't publicise the cast more as I knew several of the actors and had assumed it was a one man show."
Kim Tobin 13/9/2016
Kim Tobin 13/9/2016