The show naturally has had a lengthy preview period (opening officially 5th November) and I saw it a week ago, not having intended to write about it, but after a couple of people emailed me to ask my opinion, I thought sod it, I'll write it up! So take it all with a pinch of salt, I suspect the show may not be to the liking of some but I really rather enjoyed it, with its huge amiability, its cracking lead in Gemma Arterton and that crucial level of interest that comes from a true story (and one whose legacy continues today, somewhat unresolved). I'll be going back soon but here's what I thought first time round.
Between them, Bean and Goold seem to revel in making slightly off-kilter decisions. Making Harold Wilson an unreconstructed comedy character complete with end-of-the-pier routine with a bit of soft-show here and some salty humour there is simply bizarre, though Mark Hadfield makes a genuinely decent fist out of it. Another choice that seems rather random is the striking opening visual in the bedroom which doesn’t really play out as you think it might.
And after the interval, another big production number comes with the introduction of the big bad US boss which again feels out of place – I’d rather find out more about these women and their lives than be overly subjected to a character whose main point of humour is (unacceptably in my view) saying the word f*ggot on three separate occasions (and getting a laugh each time…)
So it’s good that Steve Furst’s Tooley doesn’t linger too long and that the wonderful Gemma Arterton is allowed to shine once again. She may initially seem a little bit too glam for the part (kudos to the casting directors at David Grindrod for assembling such a ‘real’ looking ensemble, but she really does nail it. The indignation of being treated as a second class worker, the barely-willing rep for her friends and co-workers, the conflict between the short-term needs of her family and the longer-term societal shift that she slowly comes to realise she is at the forefront of. Arterton grows as does Rita blossoms and I thought she was excellent. And matched with the cuddly charm of Adrian der Gregorian as her husband, they make a hugely engaging personal centre to the larger political story.