A starry cast illuminate Coward's comedy of manners

Reviewed by Andrew Drummond, 26/03/2014

Great night out: One for the adults - while it's certainly suitable for all ages, a lot of the jokes will fly straight over the heads of children. It isn't exactly 'action-packed' either.

Best bit: Caroline Quentin's radical costume change

Recommend to friends? Mums and Dads, Aunts and Uncles

Morning after effect: The name Moxie needs to come back in a big way

Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars

Of the two Trevor Nunn productions currently showing in London, Relative Values has had far less fanfair. His adaptation of Fatal Attraction at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, replete with real rabbit, has been a bit of a sensation. Many have called it a left-field choice for an RSC alumni like Nunn. Relative Values however lands right in Nunn's usual wheelhouse.

Noel Coward's comedy of manners first premiered in 1951 and is staged here after transferring from Bath. It revolves around the arrival of the Earl of Marshwood's new wife, who happens to be a Hollywood starlet. Seeing as starlets aren't usual marriage material for the English gentry, this causes quite a ruckus, with the latent snobbery of the Earl's relatives and family servants being drawn to the surface.

Coward is obviously famous for his gentle yet satirical bite, so don't go expecting an uproarious comedy from the get go. Relative Values is built up patiently, the web of misunderstandings and charades slowly growing ever more tangled until it reaches a kind of tipping point in the play's last third, at which point it does get seriously funny. The cast are all fantastic, with Rory Bremner especially good in his stage debut at the family butler Crestwell. The character is a kindred spirit to Wodehouse's Jeeves, observing ongoing events with a knowing superiority, a quip never far from his lips. And as you might expect from Bremner, Crestwell's tendency to slip back into his less-mannered natural accent comes very naturally. Patricia Hodge and Caroline Quentin round out the starry cast, and don't put a foot wrong.

Relative Values may not be Coward's most celebrated play but it still makes for a very enjoyable evening. This production stages the action adeptly and simply, and with a cast this good you can't go wrong.

View our show pages for more information about Relative Values, Harold Pinter Theatre.