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The Review - THEATRE by SARA NEWMAN
Published: 10 January 2008

Daniel Attwell and Katherine Bennett-Fox

God save us from the queen and her clan

THE BEHEADING
Etcetera Theatre

OBVIOUS tyrants become victims and the tyrannised become oppressors in this satirical play about one of the last British bastions of the old class system – the royal family.
Artie (Aidan Sansom) has returned from his travels with a new girlfriend Melanie (Katharine Bennett-Fox) in tow.
His mother Beryl (Jennie Lathan), a keen monarchist, is delighted to be invited by Melanie, the daughter of an equerry, to the royal palace to celebrate the foolishly mild-mannered Prince Edward’s birthday.
Revolutionary-minded Artie, who has spent a lifetime unable to live up to his mother’s royal expectations, is mortified. His mood is only worsened when Beryl is mistreated by the idols she has obsessed over in recordings of their funerals and weddings.
The reality behind her Jubilee teapot hallucination proves to be far more surreal. From the fantasy world of royal family souvenirs, the set is transformed into a street scene, a prince’s bedroom and even the palace party itself.
The power play between all the cast members – the demented mother and son, a fantastically hideous Duchess Penelope (Alix Dunmore) and the horribly menacing younger brother to Edward (Daniel Attwell), Prince John (Michael Murray) – is achingly funny but also raises some serious observations.
Parallels with the mannerisms and reputations of the true-life royal brothers – gentle, responsible Prince William and never-out-of the tabloids Prince Harry – are excellently performed.
Each class makes grossly inaccurate judgments about one another with disastrous consequences.
In the struggle to win control, using whatever tools at their disposal, everyone loses.
If you leave feeling only a trace of sympathy for the pitiful characters, such is the nature of satire.
Just watch out in the front row, sometimes, those swords seem dangerously close.
As lovely and cosy a box as the Etcetera is, this play is worthy of a much bigger stage.
Until January 27
020 7482 4857

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