The Mentalists, Whyndham's Theatre ***

Richard Bean and his work has just gone through a surge of popularity. Whilst Made in Dagenham and Pitcairn were considered failures, Great Britain was good at the National and had a decent stint in the West End, even if the cuts diluted the cutting satire, and One Man, Two Guvnors seems to be constantly on tour. So just as the writer was starting to disappear from the public eye, a major, West End revival of the 2002 play 'The Mentalists' is announced. The play itself is well written and funny, with more than a hint of Hancock's Half Hour. What's more important is that both Ted and Morrie are people rather than caricatures, both of whom are disheveled and delves behind the Hancock routine. In fact, Ted is reminiscent of David Brent, co-written by cast member Merchant, in that it is the standard 'worker' whose character faults and hubris has lead to a big fall out. This character is inherently interesting, even if I don't find them, in themselves, amusing. In fact, I loved the Office more as a drama and social commentary than a comedy. In the same way, as many West End comedy's are, The Mentalists feels like a humourous drama than, as repeatedly advertised, a laugh out loud comedy with a dark edge. This means that the first half feels quite pedestrian as the characters don't really evolve until towards the end of the show. Merchant's West End debut is perfectly competent even if the performance is not overly impressive or interesting. The stage presence isn't as large as his co-star Rhodri who commands the stage well, in a better choice of play than his last showing at the National. Abbey Wright does nothing particularly remarkable with the text but it is enough to satisfy a solid evening of entertainment. The problem is that plays in the West End are becoming more interesting due to transfers from the Young Vic, National, Tricyle and recently the Arcola, meaning that this populist and safe production of Richard Bean's comedy that takes no real risks don't feel substantial enough to really compete with the high standards of straight plays in London.