Theatre Review: Crooked Wood | Jermyn Street Theatre

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The Review - THEATRE by REBECCA FIELDING
Published: 25 September 2008

Crooked Wood

Standing up for the little lady

CROOKED WOOD
Jermyn Street Theatre

THE crumbling walls of Crooked Wood hold beautiful antiques and a family history gathering dust and mould.
Within this decaying world of failing electrics and no hot water lives the charming Belle Barwick, played by the esteemed Doreen Mantle.
This unassuming old lady stands in the way of a multi-million pound property deal which relies on the demolition of her dearly loved home.
The job of convincing her to move, by any means possible, lies in the hands of Andrew Veitch (Nick Waring) and his cut-throat boss Murry Lester (Clive Carter).
Armed with a bottle of Campari and tea in china cups, Belle proves to be more saviour- faire than the big bad developers took her for.
Waring undoubtedly persuades of the genuine shift in Veitch’s character: from corporate mouthpiece to fighting Belle’s corner clad in overalls – symbolically worn over his suit – and an over-compensatory passion to restore her hot water. Refusing his mission to bribe and frighten Belle, he stands up to his
money-hungry wife (Shona Lindsay) and crooked boss.
We are asked to forgive his previous unscrupulous ways, and forgive him we do.
At times we get a touch of pantomime as Carter overdoes the villain role, detracting slightly from the black comedy Crooked Wood aims to be.
Plowman’s script plays out a reminder that we should not forget the past and move indiscriminately into the future; that our homes are not merely objects of desire but a bridge between us and our memories.
Veitch is joined by Quentin (Alec
Walters), the socially responsible lawyer; together they inject a little humanity into the dog-eat-dog world from which this story emerges.
The Jermyn Street Theatre is an exceptional space for this soft-centred fringe production providing a thought provoking and enjoyable evening off London’s West End.
Until October 4
020 7287 2875

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