Review: Feed The Beast
On the night of the General Election I was watching the trials and tribulations of the Prime Minister – no I was not a fly on the wall at Number 10 but actually sitting in the New Wolsey Theatre to see “Feed The Beast”.
This political drama transforms the audience right into the rooms of quite possibly the most powerful house in the United Kingdom.
Writer Steve Thompson has been responsible for tv shows such as Sherlock and Doctor Who, proves he is also capable of producing a fine stage production as well.
Gerald Kys plays a very likeable PM with shades of Tony Blair or is it David Cameron? Thompson has cleverly written the production so that the story is not about any particular politics or politicians and there are probably shades of lots of different political characters.
The plot is more about who really pulls the strings in the halls of power. The PM starts out as being very honourable and refuses to bow to the call of newspaper editors and their reporters, but the question is who needs who most? or for that matter is it the elected or unelected who are really calling the shots?
This is an excellent so-production between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre, convincingly played out by an able cast. “Yes Prime Minister” it isn’t but there are elements of comedy also to lighten the mood.
As I said at the start, I saw this on the night of the General Election, going home to watch the real Election coverage made you look at the MPs in a different light.
One thing I can say with conviction is that Feed The Beast definitely got my vote on the night. “X”
Mark Keable, Ipswich24 Magazine
New Wolsey Theatre until 16th May.