Jumpy ****

Duke of York’s Theatre, London

EXCERPT: “April de Angelis’ script is not quite ambitious enough, and as a result the production doesn’t transcend the barrier between the very good and the outstanding.”

Jumpy, starring Green Wing’s Tamsin Greig, has transferred to the West End after its immensely successful stint at the Royal Court. Greig plays Hilary, a 50 year old woman in the throes of a mid-life crisis: her teenage daughter Tilly (Bel Powley) doesn’t want to talk to her, much less seem to need her; her relationship with husband Mark (Ewan Stewart) is staid and depressingly parochial; and the once Greenham feminist protester – herself – has turned into a decidedly standard middle class woman whose first instinct is to grab for a glass of wine.

The play is first and foremost a comedy. The actors really work these laughs, so much so that the play’s poignant and insightful elements became slightly lost under their slightly larger-than-life characterisation. Whereas at the Court Greig held back both Doon Mackichan and Bel Powley as they teetered on the edge of the farcical, for the West End she too has upped the ante – though at the Duke of York’s the style feels more appropriate. The play is greatly entertaining – Mackichan’s burlesque scene is especially enjoyable – and recognisable to boot, as we see Hilary and Tilly both despairing over the other’s actions and dress sense. However, April de Angelis’ script is not quite ambitious enough, and as a result the production doesn’t transcend the barrier between the very good and the outstanding. It has a bit of everything, but not quite enough of anything. Though laugh-out-loud funny, at no point was I paralysed with laughter; my emotional involvement was limited; and the political and social points about feminism weren’t provocative enough.

To find out more about Jumpy or to buy tickets for it at the Duke of York's, please visit the Jumpy page.