A deliciously irreverent hit West End comedy of mid-life crisis, teenage rebellion and a mother-daughter relationship in meltdown. Hilary is 50, a strong intelligent woman who once protested at Greenham Common. Then she felt she could change the world, now, she can’t even change her daughters mind about wearing that skirt. Hilary’s job is on the line, her marriage is on life support, her best friend won’t grow up and her teenage daughter has gone off the rails…
If life begins at fifty, it’s off to a shaky start. April De Angelis’ frank and funny family drama charts the perils of growing up and growing old with refreshing candour in this instantly relatable look at mother-daughter relationships for anyone who has ever been tempted to open the wine before unpacking the shopping.
When the company is this talented, the time does at least pass in an entertaining enough way. But when the script is as shallow and predictable as this, the result is a production that is at best good enough.
For anyone either going through or having gone through this kind of domestic crisis, it’s easy to imagine it will feel like it’s been written just for them and could well tickle their funny bone in recognition. Otherwise, you may have a laughter by-pass and feel it’s a bit, well, jumpy.
While the assorted scenarios of dysfunctional families depicted are first world problems writ large, it is the everyday middle class ordinariness of them that makes De Angelis' play at times so touching. It does this even as it invites us to laugh at the ongoing ridiculousness of a world where growing up only seems to get harder with age.
There is a generosity and sincerity to Jumpy at the Lyceum, allied to some impressive acting, even if the end result is not as overwhelming as it might be.
Crafted and performed exquisitely, Jumpy is a fine addition to the Royal Lyceum’s in-house productions for 2016.
This is so important you may leave the theatre and want to call your families to remind them how much you care. It’s really that moving.
Sitcom humour prevails, all more bitter lemon than bittersweet. A pity, as the first half promises so much ,and Knowles is superb right from her very first glug of cheap plonk.
Some of this material is familiar, of course, from a dozen mid-life crisis dramas. Yet all of it comes with a savage, truthful De Angelis twist that fairly takes the audience’e breath away, before making them shout with laughter.
Much as Jumpy ambles amiably from one domestic crisis to the next, scoring laughs along the way, it lacks the urgency to go deeper than lightweight observational comedy.
The script at times feels unfocused and tonally adrift, with only the director and her good ensemble cast holding things together. The downside is that, heartfelt laughs notwithstanding, this production can’t help but feels as if it’s just trying a bit too hard to be entirely successful.
Bissett and her cast work hard to inject some humanity into the chilly proceedings, and there’s an eclectic soundtrack to brighten the scene changes.
It’s not perfect. Many of the dramatic peaks seem a little forced and the ending is undoubtedly pat, while the transfer of the action from London to Glasgow’s West End takes the odd misstep.
Bissett has assembled a fine cast, led splendidly by the excellent Pauline Knowles (Hilary) and Molly Vevers (Tilly). If only they were being given more interesting things to do.
What's on at the Lyceum--JUMPY
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from Thursday October 27, 2016, until Saturday November 12, 2016. More info: www.lyceum.org.uk
RSS feed of Theatre reviews