The Autobiography of a Cad review

This is Hislop and Newman’s fifth collaboration with the Watermill, its predecessors including notable new plays The Wipers Times and Spike. Macdonell’s book was first published in 1938, and presents a template for pretty much every crooked politico-comedy since. The authors capture Fox-Ingleby’s narcissism with pinpoint precision – but the repetition of one ghastly act or sordid affair after another gradually wears thin. The pattern becomes predictable, and all too soon both Fox-Ingleby and the play outstay their welcome.

Still, Hart’s is a lively, inventive production and Ceci Calf’s effective set design features oak panelling, viridian walls and a host of portraiture that ingeniously twist and turn, allowing for a seamless flow of props. Neads and Soni play myriad supporting characters alongside Mack’s muscular performance as the eternally dislikeable Fox-Ingleby. It’s all very slick, and Neads in particular excels in a variety of roles, from self-assured ex-chorine to Fox-Ingleby’s dignified, long-suffering wife. But there’s too little light and shade in a satire that just seems to get darker and more disturbingly familiar with each scene.

Hislop and Newman have plucked Macdonell’s novel from relative obscurity, and demonstrated that over-privileged and corrupt MPs are not a recent blight on the political landscape. But their play needs far more texture, and some editing, to be really palatable for modern audiences.