A Role To Die For by Jordan Waller at Marylebone Theatre 26 July - 30 August 2025
'Good fun and engaging' ★★★ 1/2
In the week that Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight was confirmed as the writer of the next James Bond film, the charmingly old school Marylebone Theatre is hosting a farcical comedy looking at choosing the next actor to play Bond in a time of political correctness and the tensions between history and modernity.
In a show that never quite wants or needs to fall on the side of realism, we see ballsy American producer Deborah (Barbara Broccoli anyone?) getting ready to announce the new Bond when it turns out the actor chosen has been messaging underage girls - which leads to leaks to the press, which in turn leads to headlines like 'Dr No Consent' and 'Moonraper. She then has 20-odd hours to plough through audition tapes and find a new 007.
Alongside Deborah's increasingly manic angst is her business partner Malcolm with whom she fights and bickers, especially when he wants to use a spurious algorithm to pick their man. Also in situ is her son Quinn - wearing a not-very-subtle 'Eat The Rich' t-shirt - a self confessed nepo baby who has been interning at the studio but is in line to the key to the throne - but does he want it? In the background and ultimately on the phone is the big kahuna Lacroix who may or may not be on Deborah's side.
The set up is neat and across a short running time - including an arguably un-necessary interval - Jordan Waller's script tickboxes all the major questions of the day name-checking male toxicity, AI takeover, legacy versus 'now' and, of course, what it fundamentally means to be a man (Bond is the ultimate alpha male - always 'reliable' and 'ready' but 'complicated' and 'annoying'). The second half gets a bit screechy and there is little time for nuance or to let the audition take it all in but, overall, things canter along nicely reaching a rather smart pay off which surprised and delighted me.
As Deborah, Tanya Franks is a revelation. A fine actress and here she goes through the gears. Her character can be overly frantic and she's at her best in quieter moments - especially when Obioma Ugoala (good here) is introduced as her non traditional choice as Bond which sees her go from delightedly flirtation to horrified and manipulative. There is solid support from Philip Bretherton as Malcolm and Henry Goodson-Bevan gets some nice lines as the son who wants the glory but would maybe rather be in Sierra Leone with his documentary making boyfriend.
Against a simple wood-panelled set housing photos of Connery, Moore et al this is a show that is good fun, engaging but could maybe have really gone for the darker side - so, shaken and gently stirred then.
Photography: Steve Gregson
Tanya Franks
Deborah
Philip Bretherton
Malcolm
Harry Goodson-Bevan
Quinn
Obioma Ugoala
Theo
Peter McPherson
Richard
Creatives & production team
Jordan Waller
Writer
Derek Bond
Director
Cory Shipp
Set & Costume Designer
Adam Foley
Lighting Designer
Amanda Priestley
Sound Designer
Matt Powell
Video & Projection Designer
Anna Ryder
Associate Director
Cieranne Kennedy-Bell
Costume Supervisor
