Blending comedy with an unexpectedly dark examination of conformity and social control, Allegra is elevated by Maureen Lipman's magnetic performance into an exuberant celebration of individuality, creativity and the right to live life on one's own terms.Rating
Excellent
Ronen (John Middleton) enters stage left through an external door into a kitchen set and immediately calls for his sister. Allegra (Maureen Lipman) drifts downstairs in a dressing gown, having only just emerged from bed. It is 3pm. Ronen wastes no time in lamenting her behaviour: there is no food in the house; she is neglecting herself, and her chaotic lifestyle is becoming impossible to ignore. The only thing she appears to have in abundance is hot chocolate, stacked in old-fashioned tins. Those tins, however, contain their father’s ashes. The revelation sets up one of the production’s recurring comic motifs as various characters inevitably mistake the remains for something drinkable.
Ronen’s frustration stems from a deeper concern. In his eyes, Allegra refuses to behave as a woman of her age ought to. She breaks into song without warning, pays little heed to social convention, regularly forgets to eat, wears outlandish outfits and seems wholly uninterested in caring for herself. Local restaurateurs find her uncomfortable and complain of disturbances for the other diners.
The siblings eventually agree that she needs help, prompting the arrival of Anna (Elizabeth Bower), a Czech mother of two employed as both companion and carer. Anna quickly embraces Allegra’s unconventional outlook and introduces her to the pleasures of traditional Czech cooking. Bower delivers a warm and assured performance, displaying particularly sharp comic timing.
In many respects, Allegra is a classic farce, populated by outsized characters and driven by escalating absurdity. Yet it avoids descending into caricature, largely thanks to Lipman’s extraordinary central performance and a plot that develops in unexpected directions. In a distinctly Kafkaesque turn, Allegra finds herself prosecuted, and ultimately medicated against her will, for disturbing the peace. References to ADHD medication, particularly Ritalin, culminate in a striking image: Allegra is draped silently over a chair, all vitality seemingly extinguished. In today’s geopolitical climate, characterised by inequality, instability and growing constraints on personal freedom, the play’s comic premise suddenly acquires a darker, dystopian edge. The shift is unsettling, pulling the audience abruptly from farce towards something closer to reality.
The production may divide opinion, but the audience’s enjoyment is impossible to dispute. Lipman is in constant motion: singing, dancing and engaging directly with the crowd to encourage enthusiastic participation in the show’s singalongs, or doing a rather nifty Elvis impression. Her performance is so commanding that it inevitably overshadows those around her: Middleton, who appeared to be struggling vocally, suffers most by comparison, but this remains a joyous and memorable evening of theatre. By the curtain call, the atmosphere is one of genuine communal celebration, rewarded with a standing ovation.
Written by Peter Quilter
Directed and Choreography by Stephen Mear
Produced by Thomas Hopkins and Sams Entertainment
Allegra plays at Richmond Theatre until Saturday 13 June, before embarking on a UK tour, with dates until Saturday 8 August.
