Review: The Divine Mrs S, Hampstead Theatre - Moments of sparkle and laughter
29/03/2024
As The Divine Mrs S opens, we see brother and sister actors John Kemble (Dominic Rowan) and Sarah Siddens (Rachael Stirling) performing on stage at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
John gives a booming, stilted performance in comic contrast with Sarah, who is far more natural and emotionally charged. In delivering her final line, she faints from the effort and is carried off stage, a common occurrence we later find out.
The audience laps it up. Mrs Sarah Siddons is a celebrated actress guaranteed to pack out the theatre in late 18th-century London. John believes himself to be a great actor and, as the manager of the theatre, chooses the plays and casts himself in the starring roles.
Not that there are any lead roles for actresses.
Sarah might be adored for her stage performances but that doesn't stop the newspapers and gossip rags tearing into her for not being at home with her husband and children.
When one of her daughters gets sick and dies, she is accused of neglect.
Rachael Stirling's Mrs S is commanding and effervescent. She is sharp and witty character, which alongside her acting talent become her weapons - the only weapons she is afforded in a male-dominated society.
Dominic Rowan's Kemble serves as a vehicle of ridicule but also exposes the irony of the siblings' contrasting places in society.
April de Angelis' writing is crisp and, at times, deliciously amusing, with some laugh-out-loud humour poking fun at sexism and the arts.
At its best, The Divine Mrs S sparkles and crackles but it isn't enough to sustain it through it's 2 hour and 20 minute running time.
Remove the wit and humour and there isn't enough tension or drama to drive the narrative.
Sarah's fight to play the parts she wants is diluted by other story threads. There's a flirtatious portrait painter, a biographer, money problems and theatre censorship to navigate.
There is also a female playwright whose success lasts a long as people think her work is written by a man and a woman labelled mad because she is inspired by Sarah to leave her abusive husband.
It's a play I liked a lot in places but despite cracking performances and writing it felt underpowered at times. I'm giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half.
The Divine Mrs S, Hampstead Theatre
Written by April De Angelis.
Directed by Anna Mackmin
Starring Rachael Stirling and Dominic Rowan
Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes, including an interval
Booking until 27 April; for more information and to buy tickets, visit the Hampstead Theatre website.
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