Restoration by Edward Bond at the Hackney empire

Edward Bond may be a colossus of British Theatre but this is a play to be avoided by anyone but a theatre historian. The only redeeming feature of the play, as performed at the Hackney Empire, is the earnest hard work of the cast and the cleverness of some of Lord Are's witticisms.

The play uses the form of (pastiche?) a Restoration play for what one assumes the author thought would be a coruscating attack on the English class system. But is just shows the patronizing views of the 1980's leftwing. The innocent victim of the upper class is portrayed as simple to the extreme, Lord Are's has no redeeming features, Mr Hardache a stereotypical northern businessman, Lord Are's mother is a cartoon character and the rest of the characters are neither memorable nor sympathetic. The working class apparently have the option of crime or slavery.

The play might have been tolerable but for the tuneless warbling of awful songs and their terrible lyrics. The actors tried very hard, the musicians were obviously excellent, the staging was good but what a waste of time for the all those involved - particularly the audience. This is the sort of play that can put people off theatre for life.