by Natalie Bennett
(First published on Blogcritics)

Are some things beyond satire? When I got the press notice about Justin Butcher’s plan to write a satire about that Royal Wedding, several weeks before the event itself, I wondered.

I’m not an obvious person to go to see this – I never saw the real thing, and I read the absolute minimum about it that I could manage, but having seen and admired Butcher’s The Madness of George Dubya in my pre-blogging days, I thought it might be worth a shot.

And I don’t regret that decision. Which isn’t to say this is a triumph, or anything like it, or even really properly a satire at all, a mildly entertaining, unchallenging evening pretty well does it – I’ve had a lot worse, even if it does have the feel a slightly underprepared university production.

And answering my own initial question, I rather think this does demonstrate that the royal wedding was beyond satire.

Butcher has slid in some of the obvious lines – “we are wicked spongers” say the slacking palace gardeners, “me too”, says Prince Wills (John Sheerman) – but his heart clearly isn’t really in it.

There’s also moments of classy physical comedy – the Queen’s (Stephen Guy Daltry) morning ministrations to Prince Philip (Simon de Deney) a small piece of nicely shaped slapstick. And obligatory jokes attached to an other-worldly, but unhealthily amiable Archbiship of Canterbury (Damian Kell).

Also, this is billed as a musical comedy, but be warned that there’s little in the way of music.

What this primarily could be described as a madcap alternative history that leans heavily on the reimagining of well-known predecessors – featuring the illegitimate son of Philip (also played by de Deney), who’s now one of a team of illegal immigrant gardeners – he’s Romanian, there’s an Albanian, an Algerian and an accordian-playing Bosnian – who come into contact with the cold-feeted Wills on wedding eve, with fairly predictable Shakespearean-style results – think Romeo and Juliet meets Twelfth Night.

There’s also nods to The King’s Speech,  and even sympathetically mocking English take on the Arab spring “international horticulturalists against the decapitation of daffodils”. And “George Galloway” (Rupert Mason) makes a cameo appearance that went down very well on opening night.

The production  held together reasonably well, while giving the general feeling of being a bit under-rehearsed. The cast generally did a good job with the material, with the standout being de Deney’s Bogdan, who shows real stage presence.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn the Telegraph reviewer didn’t like it.

The production continues until June 9, with online booking.