Amendments: A Play On Words – Middleweight Theatre Company / Old Red Lion Theatre, London

A humorous, fast-paced and witty play, Amendments: a Play on Words is a politically incorrect take on political correctness.

Amendments: A Play On Words

You don’t see too many plays in London which could be described as a farce.  Amendments: a Play on Words is almost one, but is also something slightly different: a farce which explores why you can’t say or do any of the elements which make up a farce in the first place.  Innuendo?  Out.  Physical contact? No thank you.  Bawdy humour and “banter”? Absolutely not.

Amendments, written by Matt Roberts and directed by Tom Stabb, takes the format of a workplace meeting.  And not just any meeting: an HR meeting.  There was an incident, you see, whose details are first alluded to and then slowly drawn out.  Over the space of 75 minutes we get to the bottom of it, as Senior HR Manager Kenneth (also Roberts) investigates, and John (Al Wadlan) laments how easy it was in the 80s and 90s.  Well, easy for some, at least.

Regular Salterton Arts Review readers will surmise that this started off in an uncomfortable place for me.  You see, I am one of those who feel that, in my professional and personal life, I should balance my right to free speech with awareness of what I say and do.  And although I think Amendments: a Play on Words is probably best for those who do share some of John’s anxieties about political correctness gone mad (the comedy is mostly at the expense of the HR side), each character is ultimately able to say their piece. Perhaps audience members on both sides of the fence will have a moment of reflection while enjoying the comedy.

Working Out Anxieties Through Theatre

I’ve said before somewhere that theatre is a great place for us to work through our anxieties.  Obviously this holds for the creative roles.  But even as an audience member, the emotional experience of attending the theatre can be a great cathartic release for our inner hopes and fears.  This is what makes Amendments a timely show: there’s no doubt we’re experiencing a shift in the balance of power in how we interact in society and in the workplace.  For those who feel the power is shifting away from them, it’s disconcerting, leaving them feeling adrift in a strange new world.  Amendments captures this feeling well, incorporating many oft-heard phrases.

As for the production itself, it’s very simple.  A two-hander, with a simple set of office furniture and a flip chart.  Plenty for our two actors to play off, in any case.  As I mentioned Roberts dials up the comedic elements, with plenty of physical humour and an unrelenting commitment to his over the top character. Wadlan, by contrast, is more direct, passionately defending team building, team morale, and a relaxed office environment.

Amendments: a Play on Words is best enjoyed as a light-hearted show. Basically, go along and enjoy, and don’t try to read as much into it. The cast of two have great comic timing, and Roberts has come up with some splendid titles of HR seminars past and future, ‘See you Later, Allegation’ being just one such example. This was my first trip to the Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington, a great pub theatre and one I hope to return to. Amendments is here until the 7th, back next week from the 11th-14th, and on tour.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Amendments: a Play on Words on at the Old Red Lion Theatre 6-7 and 11-14 October 2023 as part of a tour. Book London tickets here.