AMENDMENTS: A PLAY ON WORDS by Matt Roberts at Old Red Lion Theatre 4 – 14 October 2023

‘will leave you smiling from ear to ear, refreshed and enlivened with a greater insight into the absurdity and folly of our society’ ★★★★★ 

Theatres had previously undergone a period of restrictions and conservatism prior to the abolition of theatre censorship in Great Britain in 1968. The attraction of freedom of speech in plays and on stage had always been an empowering characteristic enjoyed by most creatives, primarily the writers and actors.

The play AMENDMENTS: A PLAY ON WORDS very cleverly showcased a scenario of censorship in the setting of an office workplace. Kenneth is the HR manager, played by the writer and performer Matt Roberts. John, played by Al Wadlan is the long-term employee who had been summoned into the HR office, after having been accused of harassment the night before, or shall we say, the day before after it got dark.

The brilliant performance of Matt Roberts as the box-ticking rules and regulations bound manager who forcefully and tactfully attempts to reason and persuade the employee to accept the severity of the so-called allegations made towards him, reminds me of a Jim Carrey comedic act. Matt Roberts’s energetic and slapstick physical performance was a contrast to the laid back, easy-going, fun-loving and relaxed Al Wadlan’s John. The tension rose however with the two characters debating fiercely over the use of acceptable and appropriate verbal and body language in the office environment. The introduction of a yellow card and the red card emphasised the playfulness of a serious confrontation.

The scenario is hilarious and the suitableness of the use of words is brought into question. What is acceptable in the year 1990s may no longer be tolerated in the year 2023. ‘Brainstorming’ and ‘mind mapping’ are no go words to use in the office as they may be offensive as referring to mental well-being. However, ‘idea-showers’ and ‘thoughts-gasms’ could well be the new norm. ‘Working from home’ is a term disliked by the HR manager, him preferring the use of ‘remote brand scaping’. Office ‘banter’ becomes a forbidden word and must be banned. Defeated John also finds his reference to gender is being disapproved of. It is not permissible to mention ‘girl’, ‘woman’, ‘lady’, or even the name of the new female employee he thought was accusing him. His male chauvinistic attitude gets admonished, revealing the larger issue of the subject of white male privileges of our society.

The Middle Weight Theatre Company’s production is so relevant today and portrays so vividly the precarious political correctness of words in a constantly changing world we are living in. Ladies and gentlemen, the 75 minutes of the humorous play will keep you laughing and leave you smiling from ear to ear, refreshed and enlivened with a greater insight into the absurdity and folly of our society.

AMENDMENTS: A PLAY ON WORDS

Directed by: Tom Stabb

Venue: Old Red Lion Theatre (Dates: 4th-14th October 2023 at 8pm) and on tour in Exeter

Box Office: https://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/amendments.html

Produced by Middle Weight Theatre

https://www.middleweighttheatre.com/

Reviewed by Melanie Lam