Review: PANDEMONIUM, Soho Theatre, W1

Armando Iannucci’s name carries great clout; as well as comedy and Dickens, shows such as The Thick Of It and Veep have secured his status as one of our great political satirists, yet until now he has never written anything for the stage. If anyone can skewer the madness of the last few years, it is surely Iannucci. Well, it seems not.

In acting, timing is everything. The same is true for theatre makers revisiting historical events. An unshakeable thought while watching Pandemonium must be; is it too early for a satirical comedy about the pandemic? Of course not; the British love dark humour and parody, mockery and sarcasm are often the way we deal with our greatest challenges. This issue is that the production is less a sharply crafted lampooning of political ineptitude, and more a slightly flabby repetition of everything we already know.

Staged as part adult panto, part Shakespearean romp, part political needling, we begin with Orbis Rex, an incarnation of Johnson by another name, musing on whether to back Leave or Remain. We then zip through the pandemic years: PPE, scientific theories, lockdowns and even referring to a future inquiry. There is nothing really new or shocking here; government behaviour has been beyond parody and so, perhaps, it’s not surprising that the script often lacks Iannucci’s usual biting wit.

Originally written as an epic poem, the script retains the rhyming couplets, with puns and riffs on Shakespeare, Pope and Hogarth. The cast refer to ‘this septic isle’ and ponder on what rhymes with the word genre. Director Patrick Marber whips the 90 minute production along and a very talented cast bring vigour and energy to their roles. It’s just not enough to save the production.

Paul Chahidi is a suitably bumbling and emotionally unintelligent man-child, relishing his manic blonde wig but sensibly never mimicking the man directly.

There are some flashes of Iannucci’s expected brilliance; Amalia Vitale’s nicely crafted Matt Hemlock is a slimy pond creature, desperate to impress and bleating at perceived injustices towards him. Vitale later appears as Liz Truss (or Less Trust) collapsing like a punctured inflatable snowman when asked about costs, which is very funny.

Natasha Jayetileke is very engaging and brims with familiar head boy energy as Riches Sooner. Faye Castelow and Debra Gillett complete a strong lineup.

It is also refreshing to see nearly every part played by female actors; a nice nod towards the distinct lack of women on the public stage during the pandemic itself, perhaps?

As the Covid inquiry reveals more and more distasteful details about the shocking conduct of our country’s leaders during the pandemic and after years of political soap opera, perhaps Iannucci just had too much material. Like much of the last few years, the production often feels incoherent and disjointed. Dominic Cummings as an ethereal moral compass? Hmmm.

Overall, this show needs to be more caustic, more furious and funnier to work. With both Iannucci and Marber involved, you really want it to be better.

Pandemonium is at the Soho Theatre until 13 January 2024

Photo Credits: Marc Brenner

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