Morning:
11°c
London faces a wave of bus and Tube strikes that could cause chaos for millions of passengers as unions walkout over pay and conditions
More...
An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Nicholas de Jongh's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Nicholas Hytner.
Cast: Jamie Beamish, Paul Chequer, Olivia Colman, Rudi Dharmalingam, Sacha Dhawan, Trevor Laird, Elliot Levey, Aaron Neil, Fred Ridgeway, Sophie Stanton, Howard Ward
Description: Richard Bean's comedy exploring immigration from the 17th century to the present day. Directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Trains: Tube/BR: Waterloo 
Phone: 0207452 3000
Website: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=1541
An unpleasant experience: Sacha Dhawan as Mushi, with Paul Chequer and Michelle Terry, in the funny but insensitive England People Very Nice
I have never had a more uncomfortable or unpleasant experience at the National Theatre than at the premiere of Richard Bean’s England People Very Nice. I hated this gross, cartoon history of English reaction to four centuries of refugees arriving in London’s East End — the Huguenots facing persecution in France and the suffering Irish, Russian Jews in the late 19th century and the influx of Bangladeshis less than 50 years ago .
Bean’s play, although factually based, is not liberal, humane or interesting in its continual, wisecracking jocularity. It lacks the smack of conflict and avoids intellectual argument. It appears intent upon defaming refugees to England in terms of the malevolent stereotypes and caricatures you find in The Sun.
Its invective is often funny, sometimes inventively so, but in the slick, cruel, abusive style that Bernard Manning perfected ages ago. I am all for withering satire. I approve of bad taste and comic mischief, but in the sensitive field of immigration, it seems irresponsible to fan the ever-ready flames of prejudice by characterising the broad mass refugees in Bean’s simplistic manner: the odd Muslims, for example, appear as muggers and drug-dealers, and rejoice that 9/11’s catastrophe has come to pass. The Jewish anarchists merely look ridiculous. Much of the audience were evidently entranced by the vulgar cut and thrust.
As if bent upon reincarnating himself as the stand-up comedian he used to be, Bean’s conceit is to set his play intermittently through the centuries in a Spitalfields bar: there Laurie the pub landlord and Ida the hyper cockney barmaid, played to the manner entirely born by Sophie Stanton, express themselves more or less consistently in the language of 2009. “F-frogs! My grandfather didn’t die in the English Civil War so’s half of France could come over here and live off the soup,” says Ida.
“There is a great noise upon the land, the farting of a million Froglanders,” Fred Ridgeway’s authentic Laurie responds. “There’ll be rivers of blood boy! War across Europe,” retorts a West Indian, who finally returns home but here anachronistically raises the spectre of Enoch Powell.
The set is dominated by the façade of a Spitalfields building that first functions as a church, becomes a synagogue and ends up as a mosque.
The cultural and practical changes to the Spitalfields area, engendered by these successive waves of immigration, are variously projected by a threatening National Fronter and a host of English complainants who fear they will lose out to the newcomers in terms of housing and employment.
Bean qualifies his negative blasts by engineering a romance between Ida’s daughter and the endearing Mohammad Sona Rasul (known as Mushi). The time-defying love affair takes a generation to bring to fruition, but it slightly helps counter the play’s negative slant.
Nicholas Hytner marshals a huge cast with customary élan. I cannot, though, understand how a man of his intelligence and sensitivity ever allowed himself to bring England People Very Nice into the National’s repertoire.
Until 30 April, box office 020 7452 3000, www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Absolutely brilliant play, brilliantly acted and produced. Best thing the National has done for years. And certainly the funniest. If it annoyed poncy Hampstead multiculturist liberals, all the better.
- Hugh Drover, Cirencester Glos
What a production-line of unmitigated drivel !
Did it change my view of Bethnal Green or the English? No.
Did it inform? No.
Did the music or audio visuals provide any elucidation? No.
This trawl through wooden stereotype after wooden stereotype was reminiscent of a third rate, first year, University Drama Soc. production – with a huge amount of work you might consider taking it to Edinburgh!
But at our much loved National Theatre?
So what was the point in wasting all this tax payers money when the dosh could have been far better utilised subsidising a decent regional repertory company for a year – or why not a National Theatre production from the classical Greek, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Russian, or perish the thought, English theatrical canons.
Shame on you National Theatre – the heritage of Olivier demands a higher commitment to quality in both the writing and the direction, then your actors could at least attempt to give worthy performances and develop in depth characterisation rather than the two dimensional shadows I witnessed at the NT.
I was so totally and utterly mind numbingly bored - I demand a refund – and I only paid £10.00!
I feel as if someone has picked my pocket and then filled the pocket with vomit.
This production has left a very bad taste indeed. The worst production I have seen in 50 years going to the National.
NB Please donate my refund to the Actors Benevolent Fund - www.actorsbenevolentfund.co.uk
- Michael Darby, Wimbledon
i really enjoyed this play because it is reality. we have all had some kind of thought towards refugees behind closed doors. i am a drama student and thought the acting of all the cast was brillant. how they could change their accents so quickly. the set was simple but had special effects which made it come alive. i would definetly come back to see it again.
- Tasha, london
Mr. de Jongh’s Bernard Manning comparison is absolutely right.
Immigrants and the history of Spitalfields has fascinated countless artists and writers possibly because they see in this area and its people, a microcosm of ubiquitous concerns, conflicts and dilemmas.
But the subject deserves much better than Mr. Bean’s lazy caricatures based in negative myths and stereotypes (some could have been lifted from a BNP leaflet). I felt embarrassed and ashamed that the National’s mostly white middle class audience could be amused by his cheap jokes mostly at the expense of oppressed immigrants – minorities who have very, very rarely enjoyed the privilege of presenting their work on the Olivier’s stage.
I look forward to a time when the National can find a more authentic voice perhaps a Bangladeshi East Ender’s perspective would have been a more daring commission.
- J C, United Kingdom
I came out of the press night with no doubt this play would divide the critics, and have not been disappointed. But the vast majority of the audience, I suspect, would strongly disagree with de Jongh's view that "the sensitive field of immigration" is either the hallowed ground he suggests, or that this play fans the flames of prejudice.
- Duncan Sinclair, London
Are you sure you were paying attention? the obviousness of the several times repeated “There’ll be rivers of blood boy! War across Europe,” retorts of the "West Indian" (I thought he was a West ham supporting East End Cockney down the pub with a Caribbean background) were brilliant bits of subtle irony, there were so many positives as people and cosmopolitan cultures came together. THey play threw out many questions, many positives, the stereotypes constantly challenged, the stereotype of your response is on the other hand... well, oh dear Mr de Jongh
- Sean O, London
How bizarre -I was there last night too and could have sworn I saw Mr. de
Jongh first of all sleeping during a large portion of Act 2, and then clapping very enthusiastically at the end........
- Beverly Fitzgerald, London
I was also there last night and wholly agree with Andrew Risner. One of the funniest, most intellectually coherent and, above all, humane plays the National has staged for years. For Nicholas de Jongh to claim to be "all for withering satire" but to then qualify certain subjects as unsuitable for said satire says more about the dire state of theatre criticism than it does about England People Very Nice.
- C Wheatley, london
I saw it last night also. Half the audience were laughing, yes; but the other half were grimacing, or embarrassed, or shaking with rage. I was in the latter half.
- Sweety Pie, London
Totally agree. I went on Friday. It reminded me of a period 'Mind Your Language'. I found the some of the dialogue offensive. The jokes were just repeated as each new group of refugees were trotted out on stage.
Hated every minute!
- Robert Ward, London
Did we both see the same play last night.Judging by the audience reaction , obvioulsy not.
It was one of the best productions I have seen at the National since War Horse.
The potted history of immigration into London was distilled down into wonderful vignette's of the diversity and issues faced by the varying influx and diversity that goers to make up this cosmopolitan town.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be recommeding it to my friends.
- Andrew Risner, London
