Tamzin Outhwaite makes Beverly her own
8 / 10
Fall’s production, first seen at Stratford East in 2024, is so deftly crafted that the best of the dialogue sounds freshly minted. Tamzin Outhwaite’s bored, vampish wife steps out of the shadow of Alison Steadman, who gave us an unforgettable Bev half a century ago. When we first see Outhwaite she is dancing away on her own, working on her Travolta moves under a glitterball. Here is a manipulative woman intent on turning her lounge into her own private catwalk. Her guests and her poor husband, Laurence (Kevin Bishop strikes just the right aggrieved tone), become her props; she moves them around with expressions of fake bonhomie, topping up their glasses all the while.
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