Everyone loves a happy ending and with Peter Quilter’s play The Morning After that is precisely what you get. Clearly influenced by the Brian Rix Whitehall farces of the 50s and 60s, this punchy, zip along rom com about two young gay men – Adam played by Chris Cahill and Thomas played by David Fenne – is a rather polite, eloquent play about a guy who meets a guy in the cinema queue, chats him up, resulting in Thomas staying at Adam’s house; then stays over again – and then this whirlwind romance sees the guys getting married.
This a frantic farce and when we are introduced to the marvellous Barbara, Adam’s Mum, played with an enthused OTT fashion by Colleen Daley, the merriment is pure camp. Then enter Matthew Lloyd Davies as a rather annoying Martin and the quartet of characters is complete.
Quilter does have an ear for creating good tennis match dialogue about gay expectations with a tender flair, lacing his script with some pure zingers and the Barbara character really comes into her own as she tells the boys about her experiences during the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s.
The play does seems to get a bit frantic and frenetic at times but director Andrew Beckett does monitor the pace and some of the individual vignettes created to get a certain gag across do work very well, but with some unfortunately misfiring. This is also a rather lovely look at the effects of intimacy and family loyalty and bonding. Amusing to watch, fun and actually a good laugh. If only real life could be this perfect!
Photos by PBG Studios
****
The Morning After runs to Saturday 1st March in the Main House at Above the Stag Theatre, 72 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP. Book tickets via abovethestag.org.uk
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