After The Applause

This sensational debut play by Shaan Sahota is painted with comedy and gags but underneath is a profound and relevant analysis on Politics today…

When the final season of Rufus Norris’ time at the National Theatre was announced this production certainly caught my eye. It saw Adeel Akhtar take the National stage for the first time and a young playwright given the chance to display her work on a large stage. It was also the simple synopsis that was published by the National Theatre: Being the favourite comes at a price. I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see it. It was a mystery to me how the story may play out, but I can say it most certainly did satisfy my expectations!

First of all I loved Sahota’s naturalistic writing that really made this feel more moving and relevant. Each character, no matter the size was given different layers. Specifically the characters who worked within the Political world gave a different stereotype and perception of Political figures to create a simple sketch of Britain’s Political minds. For example chief whip Ralf Hughes, a dominating figure who hides his repressed sexuality behind bullying and teasing, or even the resigning leader of the opposition, Peter Long, who never appears on stage but is described as having an affair. Some of the characters and events felt closely related to real life and I believe that helped contribute to the comic moments of the piece.

I was also surprised by the complexity of the set, especially in the tiny Dorfman theatre it was very spectacular! Chloe Lamford designs an office that transforms into a house and then into a conference room in a very simple and easy manner with minimal changes. I loved the choice of director Daniel Raggett to have the characters do the scene changes in character, it lightened the tone but also helped us get to know the characters even better.

Structurally I liked the play, the first act was a whistle stop tour of the characters with an introduction to the potential plot holes Sahota may dive down. The first half was around 50 minutes which is weird considering it is 2 hours and a half so that meant the second half was much longer which is rather unorthodox but works so well. The first half was the starter and now we delve into the meaty main course.

The mix of politics with family drama is done well, there are lots of heated moments in both worlds and the writing and acting is very impressive (apart from a few mispoken lines or actors getting lost in the anger and confusion of it all). One of my favourite parts of the writing is having the presence of Angad’s father (disguised as a waiter or an attendant) throughout the play, with him walking on after Angad has fought with his siblings. It was incredibly clever and I really enjoyed this directorial and storytelling choice.

The cast are very good, I enjoyed Helena Wilson and Fode Simbo as Angad’s communication team Petra and Isaac. They relish in the comic moments and whilst the pair did muddle some lines at times their characters are well acted and certainly add to the story.

Angad Singh is the favourite to win the election to be leader of the opposition, what could go wrong? His father’s passing prompts his sisters to arrive at his house to discuss their father’s will, and when they find out he is the only one mentioned tensions really do rise. Shelley Conn and Thusitha Jayasundera are a powerful duo as his sisters, watching as their lovely little brother turns into a power mongering politician who is just as bad as their father was. The scene towards the end that signals the end of their unity as siblings actually was really hard to watch and I had to shut my eyes, such brilliant acting especially from Conn as she looks into the power hungry eyes of her brother. Dinita Gohil is Angad’s pregnant wife, having to stand by her husband’s side as he transforms and deteriorates throughout the play. She is just as power hungry, however she feels trapped by an obligation to support her husband.

I had two standout performers and they were Adeel Akhtar as Angad and Humphrey Kerr as Ralph Hughes. Adeel is wonderful actor and oh my word does he thrives on the stage. He holds so much emotion in his expression and body language and his naturally modulating voice really resonates his stress and the fact he is a normal guy trying to live a life that he thinks he wants. His speech at the end was so natural it felt like he was actually running for Prime Minister, he takes his time and allows for pauses and the whole audience watches and waits. He delves into the emotion and it all boils down to his destructive tantrum at the end, illuminated by simple lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun. Ralph Hughes isn’t as deep, he is simply just the stereotypical posh boy politician, however, Kerr acts it so well and has to act out some worrying moments for Hughes as he becomes the victim of blackmail. Kerr thrives in this comic role and I loved when he came on stage in bright red socks and a poorly tied orange turban, it made the show halt for a second people were laughing so much.

MY VERDICT:

A deep, profound and relevant play that entertains and educates. It is written superbly by Sahota and I am sure the National will use some of her other material in the future. The acting is brilliant and whilst at times lines were fluffed it doesn’t matter, I don’t blame them as they have to remember lines whilst living in the tense and destructive moments. I would certainly recommend The Estate, it is a fun yet deep play that would be relevant for a wide demographic of people and resonates on many different levels. I did enjoy this one quite a bit!!

The Estate is playing at the National Theatre until the 23rd August in the Dorfman.