The Constituent
Closing: August 10, 2024The Constituent - West End History , Info & More
The Old Vic
103 The Cut London
‘I am not your punch bag! I am a Member of Parliament!’
An MP with an instinct for compassion. An ex-serviceman with a life in free fall. And a parliamentary protection officer who’s having none of it.
This volatile new play stars BAFTA Award winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, Line of Duty) as a hard-working opposition backbencher whose ideals of public office are tested by the demands of a man in crisis, played by Tony, BAFTA and Emmy Award winner James Corden (One Man, Two Guvnors, The History Boys).
Directed by Olivier and Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus (A Christmas Carol, Matilda The Musical) and written by Olivier Award winner Joe Penhall (Blue/Orange, Mood Music), The Constituent deconstructs politics, panic alarms and the conflict between public service and personal safety.
__Assisted Performances:__
BSL, 23 Jul, 7:30pm
Captioned, 26 Jul, 7:30pm
Relaxed, (Audio Described, BSL & Captioned) 27 Jul, 2:30pm
Audio Described, Wed 31 Jul, 7:30pm
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Constituent
The Constituent, Old Vic, review: James Corden impresses as a sobbing emblem of Broken Britain
6 / 10
In a bold (some might say credulity-testing) move, Corden, 45, plays Alec an ex-serviceman who experienced traumatic tours of duty in Afghanistan. First seen installing security equipment in the constituency office of a Leftish opposition MP called Monica (Anna Maxwell Martin), he’s initially an innocuous gobby geezer (Corden on terra cognita). It turns out the pair went to the same school and grew up on the same street. “I’m always here if you need me,” she kindly offers, when it emerges he’s having domestic battles; Alec is distressed by his current divorce and separation from his children. That’s the basic compact of a good MP, isn’t it? But it becomes apparent that Monica may be intensifying his frustrations. Alec’s faith in his assumed ally to address his grievances (and even advance ideas about legislation to redress systemic bias, as he sees it, against men) is bound to meet a reality-check.
The Constituent
6 / 10
Where ‘The Constituent’ unfortunately goes off the rails is in the introduction of a third character. At first Zachary Hart’s paranoid Brummie police officer Mellor seems like a reasonable addition to the story: Monica is getting increasingly worried about Alec’s obsessive behaviour, but doesn’t qualify for proper ministerial protection. But eventually Mellor’s ludicrous behaviour blows up the whole play and unbalances the carefully wrought clash between Monica and Alec. Even when Mellor is out of the equation, Matthew Warchus’s hitherto finely-balanced production feels trivialised and diminished. Penhall perhaps makes a couple of valid points about the British police. But really it feels like he wasn’t sure where to take the story so decided to throw in Mellor as a very crude curveball.
Category
1 - 4 of 4
James Corden Delays Start of THE CONSTITUENT to Watch England Euros Match on Stage
by Stephi Wild - July 8, 2024
by Stephi Wild - July 8, 2024
James Corden delayed the start of a recent performance of The Constituent, the play in which he is currently starring, so that he and the audience could watch England's penalty shootout against Switzerland.
Review Roundup: THE CONSTITUENT, Starring James Corden
by Nicole Rosky - June 26, 2024
by Nicole Rosky - June 26, 2024
The Old Vic just celebrated opening night of The Constituent, a new play by Joe Penhall, directed by Matthew Warchus. Let's see what the critics are saying about the new play!
Review: THE CONSTITUENT, The Old Vic
by Aliya Al-Hassan - June 26, 2024
by Aliya Al-Hassan - June 26, 2024
Matthew Warchus' production focuses on a single back-bench MP trying to balance help and professional distance with her increasingly unstable constituent.
Photos: First Look at James Corden, Anna Maxwell Martin and Zachary Hart in THE CONSTITUENT
by Stephi Wild - June 24, 2024
by Stephi Wild - June 24, 2024
The Old Vic has released all new photos from The Constituent, a new play by Joe Penhall, directed by Matthew Warchus, starring James Corden, Anna Maxwell Martin and Zachary Hart.
The Constituent History
Other Productions of The Constituent
| West End |
West End |
Videos