A POLITICAL pantomime is being played out not on the road to Barnard Castle, but instead in Windsor. It’s one that pulls together recent history, and no eye tests are needed to be let into the auditorium.
Dom The Play is a look at the crazy events over the past decade, as seen through the eyes of Boris Johnson’s former right-hand man, Dominic Cummings.
“The idea came from a desire to look at one of the most controversial figures in British political history and write about it,” says Lloyd Evans.
“Shakespeare and Chekov are rooted in the past, and this is happening now, so it connects on a deeper level.”
The political satire opened at The White Bear Theatre in London, before transferring to The Other Palace, and enjoyed sold-out performances.
It looks at some of the controversies of the man who helped the Vote Leave campaign win the Brexit referendum, shares some of his thoughts on how the civil service should be reformed and goes into the truth of the events about Barnard Castle.
And, Lloyd promises, it looks at how David Cameron made a secret pact with Boris Johnson over Brexit, what the blond-haired disgraced former prime minister made of his successor, Liz Tuss, and how he fell out with Cummings, leading to his sacking in November 2020.
Exhausted? That’s only half of it. This is a roller coaster of a play, based on the memories, diaries, newspaper accounts and other verifiable sources that Lloyd could get his hands on.
But don’t expect this to be a hatchet job on the Conservatives’ record over the past decade.
“The play is politically neutral,” he says. “I let the audiences make their own minds up.
“I didn’t want to do a hit job on him.”
Dominic Cummings is a controversial figure for many reasons, not least for his vision for the country.
“He wasn’t just a despot,” Lloyd says. “He had ambitions that were quite admirable.”
Some of these, including reforming the civil service, making government decisions based on factual evidence, and building a space station on the moon, are put into the play, making it a far more rounded experience than a simple sketch on a show such as Spitting Image.
“It does resonate with people,” he says. “We’ve had a party in from a school and the teacher said it follows the A-level syllabus looking at the last 10 years, so it’s quite a good revision tool.”
So in some ways, more Horrible Histories but for modern times.
There is a cameo for Maidenhead MP, and former prime minister, Theresa May, played by Sarah Lawrie. And it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it’s to Dancing Queen.
“It’s not a mean thing. I don’t need to exaggerate, as people remember the events. I want to make it human, rather than just grotesque,” Lloyd says. “Everything is based on central truths.”
Dominic Cummings is played by Chris Porter, and Lloyd is full of praise for them.
“Chris is very well-known in the trade. He has a very strong resemblance and can do Dom’s funny accent.
“Tim played Boris in 2005, for the first time he ever appeared on stage, in Who’s The Daddy? (a play about Johnson’s time on the Spectator magazine). He’s reprising a role he’s familiar with.
“The actors bring something to the show that I’ve never imagined. It’s amazing to see what they can do with it.”
Lloyd is looking forward to the play transferring to the Theatre Royal, where it has a 10-day run from Wednesday, April 19.
“It’s an amazing venue,” he says. “I was there last year to watch Ian McKellen in Hamlet. He was incredible.”
Now, he’s looking forward to seeing how audiences react to his show.
“They will have two hours of political comedy, and come away discovering things about the corridors of power and what politicians get up to behind closed doors .. 98% of the time, they’re exchanging gossip. People have the impression politicians are interested in politics, but they’re interested in backstabbing.”
As for the view it could be a pantomime, Lloyd says “It does feel like it could at certain times. Boris could be a Mother Goose figure, and Dom an ugly sister.”
There is just one question… Given they are the subject matter, has Dom been to see it?
Lloyd smiles. “I did invite Dom to see it, but he hasn’t. I don’t suppose he will.
“But we did get civil servants in, and they seemed to enjoy it. A lot of them say that’s what it’s like.”
Dom The Play is at Theatre Royal Windsor from Wednesday, April 19 to Saturday, April 29. Tickets cost from £23.50.
For more details, call the box office on 01753 853888, or log on to: https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk
