Review: BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN, Riverside Studios

Photo credit: Mark Senior

Following the UK’s vote to leave the EU in 2016, Gina Miller took Theresa May’s government to court over her decision to implement Brexit without approval from Parliament. Tim Walker’s dramatisation is a human take on these real events, from the perspective of the two women. 

Under the direction of Stephen Unwin, May (Jessica Turner) and Miller’s (Amran Khan) accounts are played out side by side in imagined dialogue. Walker effectively uses monologues, conversations between each woman and their confidant (Miller’s husband and May’s adviser) and scenes involving the Daily Mail as a vehicle to demonstrate they have lot more in common than we think. Not least, they are women in a man’s world, having their own battles with misogyny. “Bloody Difficult Women”, used here to describe both women, is reference to Kenneth Clarke’s description of Theresa May that he didn’t intend to be captured on TV! 

The set (designed by Nicky Shaw) is simple. A series of photos depicting Whitehall, the Daily Mail office and other scenes are punctuated by news bulletin jingles, skilfully used so we concentrate on the quick dialogue, but know exactly where we are in the story. 

Both Khan and Turner depict the women sympathetically. We see how their actions have personal consequences. Khan portrays Miller as brave and principled making clear why she chose to fight this battle, “if those who govern us don’t stick to the rules, no one will”, (a line intended as a poke at our current government as much as May’s). However, her robustness is pierced by moments with her husband as she fights back tears at the racial and misogynistic abuse she faced at the hands of the media. Turner’s May is socially awkward and round shouldered, giving us what we expect. Yet the character has a few very funny lines delivered with perfect comic timing by Turner, in particular her digs at “Dave” with a great joke about the state of his brill cream, left in no. 10. Amongst all this, we see how May is also principled, but manipulated by the newspapers and quietly exasperated by those around her. 

Important to illustrate the Daily Mail’s portrayal of Miller, control over May and hammer home who has the power, are scenes involving Paul Dacre (chief editor of the paper). Bringing most of the humour to this serious piece, Andrew Woodall brilliantly plays the megalomaniac editor. His comical swearing would give Malcolm Tucker a run for his money, but is perhaps a tad overdone here. Even so, Woodall steals the show as he’s the most entertaining, a bit annoying in a play focusing on two women, but not surprising given that Walker is a journalist himself, so easily brings these scenes to life.   

With the exception of Miller’s husband (Edmund Kingsley), the supporting characters; Sir Hugh Rosen (May’s senior adviser - Graham Seed), Minion (a Daily Mail reporter), and Max Guilden (an aid to Sir Hugh) are invented to tell the story. Calum Findley stands out for playing both Minion and Max. As Minion, the young tabloid journalist, he is particularly good, landing the cockney rhyming slang well, even though the writing creates a stereotype.   

The final scene is a gem, bringing the two women together in the present day. Punchy at first and then moving, it rounds things off neatly more explicitly showing their commonalities previously inferred throughout the play. 

A unique take on this period in recent history, it covers a lot about Miller, May, politics and the media, and engages for its 90 minutes. We came away feeling informed and entertained.

Well worth a visit, we had a “bloody good evening”. 

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Victoria Willetts

Bloody Difficult Women plays at Riverside Studios until 26 March, with tickets available here.