What’s In A Name? is a comedy adapted from a French play which first premiered in 2010. It opened to rave reviews winning six Moliere Award nominations (the French equivalent of the Olivier Awards) before being translated and adapted for the UK audience by Jeremy Sams. It’s currently at the Theatre Royal.
The play is set around a sophisticated dinner party as Elizabeth (Sarah Lambie) cooks an elaborate morrocan themed buffet in her trendy London apartment she shares with her husband and kids, it seems like a familiar story. However as the rest of the characters are revealed – a stroppy, belligerent husband Peter (Tom Datnow), an arrogant and sarcastic brother (Vincent), a confident and sassy pregnant partner Anna (Louise Marwood) and Carl (Alex Gaumond) – the trombone playing family friend with a question mark over his sexuality.
Things take a considerable turn for the worst when proud father to be Vincent produces a baby scan pic to the delight of the other guests before announcing that the baby is to be named “Adolphe.”
As the horrified family and friends desperately try to talk him out of it, it quickly descends into point scoring, mud slinging and general ranting and raving as Peter and Vincent go head to head in a debate as to why Adolphe is not a suitable baby name. Tensions and anger build in the first act as opinions, resentment and thinly veiled bigotry and class divides come to the surface.
However in the second act, the explosions really begin to spiral as skeletons are hauled out of the closet, secrets exposed and words said that cannot be unspoken as the close knit group wonder if they will ever be the same again.
The highlight of this production is undoubtedably the slick and witty dialogue combined with the comic timing, facial expressions and quick retaliations to and from characters which had the audience both belly laughing and gasping in shock at the twist and turns in the fast paced production.
Each of the characters are interactions are relatable to the audience with clashes of personality and family drama that wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of EastEnders. Director Jeremy Sams discusses the familiarity of the family feud theme “Whats interesting is these people who we know. Its about how these atoms jostle against each other and what explosions, fissions and fusions they make.
Joe Thomas most famous for his role as Simon in The Inbetweeners shines as Vincent – full of his own self importance with his slick-backed hair and fancy suit who’s witty one liners soon have the audience on his side. Vincent acts at the narrator to introduce each of the characters before joining them in the action on stage which serves well to endear the audience to the different characters and capture their attention. However as more secrets are revealed, we come to realise there may be more to him than providing the humour.
Lambie also delivers a great performance as Vincents long suffering sister, battling throughout most of the play to keep the peace and ensure her Morrocan themed buffet dinner is a success!
However even she finally explodes with anger towards the end,delivering an impassioned and liberating speech releasing years of resentment as she stomps off to bed, prompting a round of applause from the audience!
A laugh out loud, thoroughly entertaining comedy.
Whats In A Name is playing at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 5th October.