The Constituent, Old Vic Review

Written by Annie for Theatre and Tonic.

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

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Joe Penhall’s The Constituent might seem a brave choice for James Corden to make his returning stage debut, but he manages to match the success of his previous feats in this production. It is no secret Corden is an incredibly talented actor, and last night proved his talent has not faltered after such a long break away from the stage. 

Penhall’s play centres around Alec, an Afghan war veteran, whose return to civilisation has been nothing short of difficulty. A breakdown of his marriage, the slow distancing from his children and an evident declining mental state - Alec is a man on the brink of a breakdown. His unintentional encounter with his old school peer Monica promotes itself with an opportunity for Alec to seek help out of his current state. 

Monica, played by the ever-great Anna Maxwell-Martin is as poised and composed as one would expect a politician to be. Yet, we often see glimpses of her emotional traits that break her composure, there is no doubt she wants to do good for her community, and goodwill is at her core. 

However, she also clearly has a lawyer’s brain, often using legal jargon to strategically undermine Alec, not only distancing herself from him but also protecting her public front. Monica often interrupts Alec, patronising him, which slowly builds the groundwork for Alec’s plausible motive for the play’s later events. 

Anna Maxwell-Martin performs as exceptionally as you would expect. She is a natural on the stage, using her natural ability to land comedic lines, to aid the already dry character. Although she performs the role incredibly well, Monica as a character doesn’t feel anything groundbreaking. She has interesting traits which offer glimpses of potential but it feels like there’s so much more that could've been unmasked. 

The play starts strongly, with a very good tempo to the duo’s exchanging dialogue, creating interest from the getgo as well as keeping a steady pace. However, the play seems to fall off-kilter half way through, the introduction of the third character, Mellor (played by Zachary Hart), a police officer assigned to protect Monica from Alec, whose threat seems to be evergrowing. 

Despite being an interesting character, the story seems to not really progress anywhere. Mellor is used to create a plot twist, but it doesn’t really feel as fleshed out as perhaps one was expecting the play to be. Having had such a strong opening, the play felt slightly flat to the initial anticipation it opened with. Although there are some very important scenarios alluded to throughout, the play doesn’t really seem as brave as it has the potential to be to really delve into them. The aftertaste is a play that feels slightly stuck at the surface level. 

Feeling as timely as ever, centering around a constituent preparing for an election, whilst the UK currently is early awaiting the looming general election, the play does raise questions around how compassionate can a politician be, it is to their detriment. 

There are certainly some interesting topics raised to evoke discussion post-performance, but I just felt like the play could have gone so much further with its debate. 

The staging is very cleverly executed, featuring onstage seating, it gives the impression of being sat in a parliamentary debate or a trial of some sort. It feels topical as much as it creates a sense of society’s intention to judge people in the public eye. You’re positioned as outsiders looking in on the characters, judging them before we know exactly who they are. 

The Constituent certainly is opening conversations and discussions, and is an excellent return to the stage for James Corden. The Old Vic continues to produce thought provoking, challenging pieces and this is no exception to the rule.

At Old Vic Theatre until 10 August.

★ ★ ★.5