The Madness of George III

Review

To play mad and be laughed at is dead easy. To play mad and tear at the heart-strings - that requires a real actor.

HumDrum AmDram has such a person in James George. The sudden roar or fixed stare, the prattling words and lolling head all seem genuinely born of whatever ails George III.

They help paint a portrait, not just of a king, but of a human being - and although Alan Bennett's play is said to be about monarchy, this production shows wider humanity to be the real subject.

Yes, we see how easy it is for a kin's power to be stripped away by an impatient heir, party politicians and idiot doctors.

But the opening scene, in which a mad woman attacks the king and is shown mercy, shows we are all the same vulnerable creatures under the skin.

And Bennett, a biting wit with sharp observation of historical parallels, makes it plain we have not moved far forward.

Other characters, often one-dimensional, are solidly filled by HumDrum, and directors Psu Boyne and James George himself manage the rapid inter-cutting of scenes slickly.

Most importantly, the play can be seen for what it is - one of the most powerful of the 1990's.

Mike Allen - The Portsmouth News - Tuesday 3rd February 1998