Move Over Mrs Markham - Review - Royalty Theatre

Move Over Mrs Markham

Royalty Theatre
24th May 2018

The setting is a London flat in the 1980s, new home to Joanna and Philip Markham. The Markhams have been married for 15 yrs. Philip works as junior partner in a publishing firm. Their steady, settled marriage is a complete contrast to their friends Linda and Henry Lodge. Henry is the senior partner in the firm. He often works late "entertaining clients" leaving Philip to do the actual graft.  His wife Linda is aware that these clients are are just excuses to hide his philandering and decides to embark on an affair for revenge. Linda arranges with Joanna to use their flat to meet her lover, Walter Pangbourne. Meanwhile, Henry has arranged with Philip to meet his latest conquest there the same night. Meanwhile, unknown to both Joanna and Philip, their interior designer has designs on their au pair and has arranged to meet her on her evening off - in the Markham's flat. Throw into this a genuine, high profile new client who has high moral standards (she has left her old publisher because there was too much sex going on...) and you have a recipe for disaster.
Cue then, much room hopping and misinterpretation of events as they all try to avoid letting cats out of bags and imaginary dogs out of baskets!

It builds nicely through the first act and though the pace drops off a little at times in Act Two, there are plenty of laughs and some brilliantly over the top acting. Corinne Kilvington and Tom Kelly steal the show as the beleaguered Joanna Markham, (disapproving of her friend's behaviour, and falsely accused by her husband, desperately trying to keep everyone's secrets and make things right) and her  flamboyant interior designer, Alistair Spendlow. Ryan Rowntree drinks his way through the play perfectly as the laid back, smooth-talking, womanising Henry.

All in all this is an entertaining bedroom romp.
There are two performances tonight and Saturday - it will brighten your bank holiday weekend if you go along to see it.

Denise Sparrowhawk