Tag Archives: Tamzin Outhwaite

2026

“Abigail’s Party” at the Harold Pinter Theatre

While Mike Leigh has, justifiably, gained much admiration through his long career, not many would describe him as a crowd pleaser. Much of his work is enjoyable, its humour part of the appeal, but this revival of his most famous piece, directed by Nadia Fall, makes comedy its raison d’être.

Part of this broad approach might be a way of dealing with the age of the script. We are just shy of its 50th anniversary. Domestic abuse, marital infidelity and troubled teens are tricky subjects. The characters who assemble for evening drinks are a long way from present-day politesse. Or maybe there’s a little confusion about class? The aspirations of these suburbanites longer contain much sting. Fall’s strategy seems to be to treat it all as a joke, and there’s no doubt the production is funny.

Some poignancy is lost. After all, this is a group of unhappy people whose problems we might want to explore. Famously, we never meet the party girl in question. Abigail is the daughter of Susan, a divorcee who has been banished from her daughter’s house party and visits Bev instead. Played by Pandora Colin, Susan’s reserved calm stands out nicely.

The two are joined by new neighbours, a young couple, one of whom seems to regret their marriage. Omar Malik and Ashna Rabheru get a lot out of the scenario, the latter’s ignorance far from blissful. And, of course, there’s Bev’s husband, Laurence, played by Kevin Bishop, who some might describe as long-suffering while others would find insufferable. The characters are great, the performances strong, and there’s lots of nuance here if you want it.

Subtlety isn’t the name of the game, though. Along with 1970s cuisine and courtship, we’re asked to laugh at the posturing, ignorance and attitudes. Is there a certain snobbishness here? I guess toes were always meant to curl, and it makes a great night for Tamzin Outhwaite.

Bev is a fantastic creation, although, being so grotesque all the time, she can be wearying. Outhwaite turns every line into a guilty pleasure. Her flirtation with one man is as overt as her frustration with another, and her bitchy consolation to the other women is equally entertaining. Bev insists on being the star attraction at all times. Outhwaite follows her character’s lead and this is, undoubtedly, Bev’s party.

Until 19 September 2026

www.haroldpintertheatre.co.uk

Photo by Mark Senior

2025

“Entertaining Mr Sloane” at the Young Vic

Revivals of Joe Orton’s plays arrive with concerns. The playwright’s reputation for outrageousness brings baggage. It’s to the credit of director Nadia Fall that this 1963 play is still shocking. It’s a shame that it isn’t as funny as it might be.

Fall tries hard to revel in the extreme and experimental aspects of the text, but the effort is limited because a lot of the humour is neglected. The dialogue isn’t odd just because of its time of writing – the mannered expression and convulsions reflect hypocrisy and twisted desires. Designer Peter McKintosh mirrors this with bric-a-brac, all painted black, suspended above the action like a Cornelia Parker installation. Meanwhile, lighting from Richard Howell includes bold colours and strobes to anachronistically split up scenes. It’s all a risk, as arty touches might alienate some from the play. And Entertaining Mr Sloane – with murder, misogyny and abuse at its core – is fairly hard to get your head around anyway.

Tamzin-Outhwaite-in-Entertaining-Mr-Sloane-at-Young-Vic-credit-Ellie-Kurttz
Tamzin Outhwaite

It isn’t an easy play for the cast either. Orton’s characters are forcefully flat. Motives are transparent, not just for comedy, but to show the audience that everyone here is delusional. But the performances are good. The least successfully written is a father figure, Kemp, capably played by Christopher Fairbank, who manages to inject a good deal of fear into the piece. But the role is too clearly a foil for the other power plays going on. Here, Daniel Cerqueira’s deadpan delivery as Ed gets a little monotonous, though the character is suitably chilling and repressed. Tamzin Outhwaite is a revelation as the sexually frustrated Kath, a woman you might feel sorry for, who Outhwaite makes truly grotesque thereby coming closest to Orton’s humour. As the object of both their affection, the titular lead, Jordan Stephens, has no problem with the charisma his character is said to possess. But Sloane is poorly served by Fall – he is never allowed to be quite threatening or funny enough. There’s a lack of subtlety to moments where the character thinks he has the upper hand because, here, Sloane is never in charge.

There’s a lot of lying. Deceit is often clear, even brazen, as characters are lying to themselves as much as each other. Is this the play’s attraction in 2025? Orton’s world as post-truth! And note, these lies excuse murder and assaults driven by lust and power. We’re a long way from a sex comedy and Fall’s move towards the serious sacrifices a lot. By the end, Sloane is literally tied up by Ed and Kath, as he is to be ‘shared’, so it isn’t subtle. Perhaps the focus is youth and how power held by an older generation is used to exploit? It adds to a creepy feel and gives this already robust play a shot in the arm.

Until 8 November 2025

www.youngvic.org

Photo by Ellie Kurttz

2013

“Raving” at Hampstead Theatre

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Three couples on a disastrous weekend away in Wales. This is the premise for Simon Paisley Day’s new play, Raving, which opened last night at the Hampstead Theatre. It’s a satisfyingly traditional set-up for a comedy of manners. Boasting superb performances as well as plenty of gags, it should prove another hit for a theatre that director Edward Hall is taking from strength to strength.

An actor himself, Day knows how to craft lines that will get a laugh, and the cast, all experienced comic actors, really capitalise on the script. Hall directs with just the bubbling suggestion of a farce, while keeping the pace appropriate to observational comedy. The couples are instantly recognisable ‘middle-aged parents with stressful lives’. You have a vivid impression of the homes and children they are taking a break from, and can easily imagine which part of London each lives in.

The first arrivals are the neurotic Briony and her sex starved husband Keith. Barnaby Kay makes his character instantly appealing and Tamzin Outhwaite is tremendous, turning on the tears and irrational fears at a speed that’s hilarious. As teachers, Briony and Keith see themselves as lower middle class (I am sure that wasn’t always the case) and don’t gel with the better-off Serena and Charles.

The toffs of the play are the tops. Nicholas Rowe’s ex SAS Charles is a scream, bettered only by Issy Van Randwyk whose filthy laugh as Serena I wanted to bottle and keep. They have “four or five” children and just “leave them to it”. No parenting books in their library and they spend too much time in the bedroom, with Charles all over Serena “like German measles”, to read a lot anyway.

In the middle of the pecking order come Ross and Rosy. The seemingly perfect couple who “don’t do late” but do yoga instead. They have problems with au pairs. Robert Webb and Sarah Hardland deal cleverly with their unappealing characters. When the predictable breakdown happens and the raving really starts, it still feels edgy.

The piece has its problems. The introduction of a younger woman, a Sloane with a drug and sex addiction, doesn’t convince, even though the talented Bel Powell does her best. Similarly, the character of the farmer the couples rent a cottage from, while ably performed by Ifan Huw Dafydd, introduces less tension than desired. There are longueurs during the finale, as the couples sexual kinks and dependencies are revealed with a too-obviously confessional tone, but the performances are strong enough to keep the laughs coming.

Until 23 November 2013

www.hampsteadtheatre.com

Photos by Manuel Harlan

Written 25 October 2013 for The London Magazine

2013

“Di and Viv and Rose” at the Hampstead Theatre

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Hampstead has a hit on its hands with Amelia Bullmore’s play, Di and Viv and Rose, which has graduated from the theatre’s downstairs studio space into the main auditorium. It’s a very funny and deeply moving story of friendship, which traces the relationship between three women from university days into adulthood.

Rose is annoyingly sweet, kooky and furiously promiscuous, Viv a militant, ambitious sociologist, and Di a straight-talking lesbian. The three seem to have little in common, but their experiences draw them together to create an intense, believable union that encompasses infectiously high times, as well as lows, and will have you hooked.

Thankfully, although the students’ lives are laugh-out-loud funny, there’s more than 1980s nostalgia on offer. The girls grow up and the dynamics alter. As with the last show at Hampstead, Old Money, these are fantastic roles for women and the talented trio here excels: Anna Maxwell Martin is brilliantly funny as Rose and Gina McKee deliciously deadpan as Viv, while Tamzin Outhwaite steals the show as the dependable, no-nonsense Di, delivering a career-defining performance in a remarkably written part.

With the general notion that friendship replaces family in our modern age, Bullmore has one foot in sitcom territory – but her jokes are a lot ruder and much funnier. Producing tears as well as laughter, Di and Viv and Rose is a mainstream treat, yet the strength of the writing provides deeper insights that are sure to stay with you. It richly deserves its re-run.

Until 23 February 2013

www.hampsteadtheatre.com

Photo by Johan Persson

Written 24 January 2013 for The London Magazine

2009

“Sweet Charity” at the Menier Chocolate Factory

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With a terrific blast of brass, the Menier Chocolate Factory’s prodcution of Sweet Charity announces to the audience that it is in for a great evening out.

Tamzin Outwaite plays the eponymous lead.  She gives an endearing and spirited performance as the New York tango ‘hostess’ who wears her heart on her sleeve and manages to stay a romantic against all the odds. It is a demanding role, which she manages with great energy and a broad grin throughout.

Mark Umbers revels in playing the men in her life. A film idol, who sees in Charity a sweet innocence his sophisticated lifestyle now lacks, and the neurotic Oscar, her unlikely knight in shining armour.  He is a superb comedic foil and takes on the contrasting roles with equal skill.

If stars have to be singled out, though, Charity’s colleagues in the tango hall give amazing performances.  Tiffany Graves and Josefina Gabrielle both move far beyond their ‘tart with a heart’ roles to give their characters real depth.  They deserve the great laughs they get and, most importantly, they both sing and dance wonderfully.

But nobody really steals this show. This is one of the strongest ensemble casts I have ever seen – every member works as hard as they possibly can and great credit goes to casting such a talented group. ‘Rhythm of Life’ is probably the best example; Oscar and Charity’s first date is a visit to a drug-fuelled ‘church’ and the ensemble performance as the spaced-out congregation is comic genius.

Underpinning all this talent are some fresh ideas that really bring the show to life.  Director Matthew White has not felt burdened by the film version. The show has plenty of camp appeal but following Neil Simon’s book, a certain sharp, candid edge. ‘Big Spender’, which the whole audience is really waiting for, is an hilarious revelation.  It is performed with a mock sensuality by women who are tired and bored – of course they are, they’re at work.

Choreography by Stephen Mear, who did fantastic work at Regent’s Park this summer, is similarly superb.  He has a great showcase in the ‘Rich Man’s Fugue’ number. The dance brings comedy to the fore and his movements show the strange position of the piece as a late 60s musical – falling between a big Broadway show and something rather more avant-garde. There are set pieces to be sure but Mear has looked as far and wide for inspiration, as the music and lyrics of Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields did. The result might seem odd at times, a joyous musical that denies us a happy ending, but is always thrilling.

Until 7 March 2010

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Photo by Catherine Ashmore

Written 7 December 2009 for The London Magazine