Grand Opera House York – until 12 October 2019
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
5*****
What’s in a Name is based on the French hit Le Prénom, written by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patelliére, and has been translated and adapted by Jeremy Sams. This adaptation is now touring the UK.
Set in a flat in Peckham, Elizabeth (Laura Patch) and her husband Peter (Bo Poraj), have invited her brother Vincent (Joe Thomas), his pregnant partner Anna (Louise Marwood) and long term friend Carl (Alex Gaumond) to a dinner party. The gathering starts off well, with Vincent sharing the baby scan photo, whilst Anna is running late. This all descends into chaos once Vincent announces the name to be of the new born baby. I don’t want to put a spoiler in here, but the tour poster carries a strong hint. First disbelief, then shock, this revelation starts a chain reaction of disagreements, arguments and secrets that, simply put, spiral out of control, as accusations and recriminations fly.
Thomas takes on a narrator roll at times, just to set up the play and steer it along, then portrays Vincent as a bit of a flash, wide boy yuppie, very 80’s with his sharp suit and slicked backed hair. Vincent is the catalyst of all the mayhem that follows. Elizabeth is the hands on mum, who has curtailed her career in order to support her husband Peter, still serving dinner to all her guests, even amongst the chaos. Peter is the one to show the strongest reaction, disgusted at his best friends’ statement. And then there’s quiet Carl, who ultimately delivers the biggest shock of the whole evening. Things will never be the same again.
The set, designed by Francis O’Connor, is pretty impressive depicting a trendy flat and its lounge. The wall is full of books, a huge family photograph is placed right in the middle of the books. A large sofa is centre, with stairs up to bedrooms and glass doors leading to the balcony. It is quite impressive and very detailed.
Believe it or not this is a comedy. At times it was very close to the knuckle, with the audience taking a sharp breath through shock and then silence, but ultimately, it had us all in stitches. There are times that this was laugh out loud funny, with the whole theatre joining in. The five strong cast interact well together, and show great comic timing, leading to the success of the play.
I had heard great things about this production and I was not disappointed. This is one of my highlight shows of the year so far, it is just so much fun to watch. You must try and get to see this production.