Review: Enjoy ****

At Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

WHEN Alan Bennett's somewhat prophetic black comedy first hit the stage in 1980, it was a critical and commercial disaster.

Thirty years on, however, Christopher Luscombe's revival has been enjoying success in the West End and on tour. You could argue that the impact of The History Boys, the confirmation of Bennett's "national treasure status" and the presence of the ever-popular actress Alison Steadman have all played their part, but it's much more than that.

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Today, Enjoy's funny but haunting vision of an ignored working-class strikes a resonant chord. It's the dawn of the '80s, and the Cravens are an ageing couple living in one of the few remaining back-to-back streets in Leeds, which are gradually being bulldozed.

Mam (Steadman) is suffering from the early effects of dementia while Dad (David Troughton) looks forward to their relocation to a new high-rise flat. Bennett's skill at bringing out both the humour and despair in everyday domestic life shines through.

The channelling of the writer's own roots, combined with marvellous performances from the two leads, results in an authentic depiction which is frequently laugh-out-loud funny but also, at times, devastatingly sad. The couple's loneliness; Mam's pining for their estranged son; the truth behind Dad's idealised version of their daughter – all are gradually revealed before our eyes.

The surreal ending leaves a sour taste in the mouth for all the right reasons. Its vision of traditional working-class communities consigned not just to the history books, but to a museum of social history where they are viewed as a quaint curiosity appears to have become all-too true.

To Apr 24.

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