If there’s a better metaphor for how the southern working class fared under the premiership of Margaret Thatcher than this play I don’t know of it. Premiering at the National Theatre in 2006 David Eldridge’s sprawling kaleidoscope of a script aimed to capture the spirit of Romford Market in the late eighties.That production sprawled across the vast Olivier stage with a cast of over 30 and struggled to establish a focus. In contrast this, the first professional revival and skilfully directed by Londonboxoffice critic, Nicola Allpress, benefits from being staged in the tiny 60 seat Union Theatre. We only see a corner of the market on this occasion but it focuses the mind and the multi-stranded plot so that the piece is now something you can emotionally engage with rather than simply admire.
At its heart is the Market Boy of the title whose mum pressures him into a Saturday job helping out on a shoe stall. As a result he falls under the thrall of a womanising boss who schools him in the art of the market’s lore and banter and in how to appeal to female customers.
Over the ensuing few years we see the boom and bust of the Thatcher years reflected in the fortunes of the older and younger man. As you might predict, one rises as the other fades in significance – but such is the circle of life, from the lions of the savannah to the strutting alpha males of Romford.
Tommy Knight is terrific as our young protagonist, he beautifully characterises the shift from awkward teen to confident manhood with subtle variations in his voice and body language. The scenes in which he negotiates a relationship with an enthralling spiky girl, confidently played by Claudia Archer, are a delight. Andy Umerah oozes charisma as the older trader, making it easy to believe that so many people vie to have sex with him. It’s a fascinating performance in which Umerah combines the swagger of leadership with the tiny moments of self-doubt that shape his journey through the play.
I’ve been researching a project about Charles Dickens’ London and have wondered why no one writing today seems ambitious enough to use such a varied palette of characters. In Market Boy Eldridge does exactly that and one of the joys of the piece is the opportunity for snap shots of a wide range of characters and the energetic cast gleefully bring them all to 3 dimensional life. There are too many lovely moments to list here but Matt Betteridge stands out as the Market supervisor who, wielding a hammer, seems constantly on the brink of a violent fury.
As if all that weren’t tricky enough for a director to co-ordinate, the piece also demands a number of surreal moments, including several appearances from the spirit of Margaret Thatcher; and the action, set to an intoxicating sound track of 80s music often tips over into heightened movement and dance.
For her first London production, emerging director, Allpress, stages it all masterfully so that we are never confused as to who is who and has drawn confident, detailed performances from a relatively inexperienced cast.
Justin William’s substantial, detailed and clever set anchors the story in a realism when perhaps the more expressionistic moments would have benefitted from something a little less literal. The cast might also have been stronger with a few more actors over 30 but these quibbles aside it’s a very impressive directorial debut.
A fascinating slice of London’s history, beautifully conveyed by a committed, fearless and skilfully directed young cast.
Club Tropicana is an explosion of 80s camperie that does, superbly, exactly what it says on the tin. I have to admit that I was dancing in front of my seat by the end, and I am someone who curls her lip, and rolls her eyes, when invited to anything billed as "feel-good" or "uplifting."