Theatre N16 8 – 19 November. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
Steve Thompson’s Spin Cycle, set in an advertising agency, is billed as relevant and timely. This may well have been true when it was written in 2003, but the world has moved on, and today, when politicians with a lack of media savvy polish are a breath of fresh air, the play feels very dated. We are all too aware of the media’s manipulation of the public, even though we still fall for the tricks, and have seen this all before.
The TV series “Absolute Power” with John Bird and Stephen Fry absolutely nailed the mercenary and hypocritical world of advertising agencies, so why the Canting Crew chose to stage this inferior version is a mystery. Thompson has written other, better plays. This was Thompson’s first play – he has gone on to write some brilliant Sherlock and Doctor Who episodes, and there are some signs of that promise here. There are wonderfully acerbic lines and moments, but they are surrounded by lots of fluff.
Poor Anneli Page as Jane has to deliver the exact same sentiment in nearly every scene – it is as if Thompson was challenged to find as many different ways as possible to pronounce the dishonesty of the industry. Completely unnecessary. The cast do well with the material – Mary Looby is a hoot as the snooty Tory wife, insulting all and sundry with impeccable manners. Gregory A. Smith as Miles was fantastically arch and manipulative (with shades of the ballroom dancer from Hi-de-Hi), although he did seem to be under the impression that he was at the Globe with helicopters hovering overhead – stunning voice projection, but a little too much in such a small space. The whole cast give good performances, it’s just that their characters are all very, very familiar stereotypes now – the bitchy workaholic career woman, the loyal PA, the innocent intern etc. etc.
The plot, about relaunching a Tory MP’s image and the damage control necessary when a tabloid is about to reveal he is secretly gay, against the backdrop of office politics and plots, is busy but ultimately as shallow as the characters. The story Ash Merat’s Piers tells to explain his leaving the industry is so banal that I hope it was about his character’s delusional self-justification rather than a serious plot point. The shift to verse during presentations and meetings is a clever idea to highlight the hypnotic allure of media imagery, but just doesn’t sit right with the rest of the play.
Stephen Oswald’s direction is brisk and noisy, and highlights the fact that this could work so much better as a TV play. The noughties’ music playing as the cast shifted furniture around the stage sometimes lasted longer than the following scene. Perhaps a sharper, immediate cut to the next scene could benefit the flow of the piece.
This isn’t a bad play, it just doesn’t have anything new to say that hasn’t already been said better before. The game cast are very entertaining – worth seeing if you are nostalgic for the noughties.