Great Britain, Theatre Royal Haymarket ***

Lucy Punch in Great Britain

When I first saw the first trailer for Great Britain's west end transfer, I was anxious. I adored the play at the Lytellton, a week after the show was announced. Having seen the show at the Haymarket, I feel that whilst the play is still strong, it has been weakened by changes to both the script and the cast. Lucy Punch gives Paige a "working class" accent which gives the journalist more of a mucky feel. Hippie Piper gave Paige the feel of someone who kept her hands clean and was a slimy character. Punch's interpretation means that no one is particularly surprised by her actions. Her monologues also feel slightly more forced than Piper's effortless display. Oliver Chris' absence is also felt and, whilst Ben Mansfield's performance as DD is good, it is not a patch on the actor currently playing Prince William in King Charles III. There are several scenes cut from the play that was at the National and many o those cuts help the play to maintain focus. However, the one scene which gave the original heart is missing which is a real shame. However, Sully is just as funny as always and the extra YouTube videos were hilarious. Robert Glenister was also brilliantly funny, as was the rest of the cast. Therefore, whilst some grit and punch has gone, it is still an extremely strong and funny take on the phone-hacking scandal.

Great Britain, National Theatre (Lyttelton) *****

Oliver Chris as Donald Doyle Davidson and Billie Piper as Paige Britain in Great Britain

Photo by Johan Pearson 

Satires are rarely performed in London. Thinking back, I think Great Britain is the first one that I have seen. I now am going to search out anything that can be either as fun or as contemporary as this piece at the National. Mirroring the rise and fall of the News of the World, Great Britain follows the life of Paige Britain, news editor at 'the Free Press', and explores the world of hacking and corruption in the media. The strangely familiar plot line is superbly scripted by One Man, Two Guvnors writer Richard Bean and has a strong cast headed by Billie Piper, of Doctor Who fame, who does a sterling job of playing a cutthroat editor. The person who is the main source of laughs is Sulley Kassam,the Police Commissioner, played by Aaron Neil, who brings the house down with the video parodies of his speeches. However, perhaps my favorite character and performance of the show is the Assistant Commissioner, played by Bluestone 42 actor Oliver Chris, who grounds the play into reality and giving it a message and moral value. In general, it is a spine-tinglingly funny with a bite familiar to Private Eye readers. This continues the zizzling year for subsidized theatre.

Great Britain is playing at the National Theatre until 23rd August before transferring to Theatre Royal Haymarket from 10th September.