The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester- until 6th July.
Reviewed by Joseph Everton
5*****
Tanika Gupta’s adaptation of Harold Brighouse’s Hobson’s Choice takes the tale from an 1880s Salford cobbler’s shop, crosses the Manchester border and tells the story of Ugandan Asian, Harry Hobson, played by the wonderfully funny Tony Jayawardena. Hobson has escaped the tyranny of Idi Amin, attributing his good fortune to Ted Heath, and has become a pillar of the Manchester Asian community, a self-made man, tailor and tory. The show takes advantage of the innovative stage of the Royal Exchange theatre, where the audience are immersed in the story; almost a part of the family or a fly on the wall in the shop.
The shop in question is revealed in Hacienda style, with the Hobson daughters distracted from their unwaged jobs by acid house on the radio. We then follow Harri Hobson, having anglicised his real name, Patel, struggling with the task of controlling his subjugated daughters who crave freedom and a break from tradition. Together, guided by eldest of the siblings, Durga (Shalini Peiris), they set plans in motion to break free of their father. From the very beginning, the excellent script delivers laugh after laugh, with never a moment wasted.
Timid tailor, Ali Mossop (Esh Alladi), is a standout character. Passport snatched away from him and hidden by Hobson, the tale follows his progression from meek and subservient with a flair for tailoring, to a confident business owner, shaped by the ambitious daughter of Harri Hobson, who he marries begrudgingly at her behest but comes to love. Esh Alladi’s performance brought about the biggest laughs in a show that was full of them.
Although hinting at the darker side of the Hobson’s lives and characters, Hobson’s Choice is a real celebration of the diversity of Manchester and an example of how it is possible for ‘great things to grow from small’