Narc. Magazine Online
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Sophie Bell enjoys Jonathan Maitland’s clever, comical and worryingly believable satire
Image by Pamela Raith
The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson runs at Northern Stage until Saturday 22nd February
Jonathan Maitland’s most recent political satire begins in Johnsons’ kitchen on the eve of the 2016 EU referendum, as five sit down to enjoy a farcical political last supper. Will Barton leads a fantastic cast with an unnervingly convincing portrayal of the tousled haired rogue Boris Johnson. However, it is not only the Goves and owner of the Evening Standard, Evgeny Lebedev who are present, as Johnson is haunted and galled by the apparitions of Prime Ministers past, each with their own very forthright views on the European debate.
The face of Margaret Thatcher in the oven and the disembodied voice of Winston Churchill in the bottom of a bottle add an interesting twist to this brilliant satire which is littered with current political and social references, including barbed remarks relating to the infamous technology lessons and the plight of Prince Andrew.
Fast-forward a decade and we find ourselves in a comical but worryingly believable future where the once disgraced former PM must find a way to redeem his flailing career and prevent himself from becoming a footnote in history or the new host of The Apprentice. This is a clever and highly relevant production marred only slightly by the darkly surreal ending, leaving the audience questioning whether Johnson has a future at all.
