Review: CHURCHILL’S URINAL at the King’s Head Theatre

A new female Chancellor is incensed that her en-suite at the grace and favour apartment, contains a wartime relic in the form of a gargantuan and ugly urinal. She sets about securing funding and permissions (from Heritage England) for its removal and whilst awaiting the go ahead, installs a modern Japanese convenience programmed with the dulcet tones of John Nettles. When news leaks (one of several urine puns) of her plans, Little Englanders become agitated and are whipped-up into a media frenzy of Churchillian proportions over the possibility that such a significant national patriarchal relic may be scrapped. After a series of random and distinctly unpleasant online sexist assaults, there is a co-ordinated Reform-led storming of the Downing Street barricades, to ensure a baying, flag-waving, Saint George-like reckoning for the apparently unpatriotic, disrespectful, and (worst of all) female, political upstart.

With additional material furnished by Stewart Lee and supporting roles played by Michael Lambourne, the whole is directed by Daniel Clarkson on a simple set of Whitehall desk and multiple phones. But whilst it would be easy to dismiss this frenetic piece as mere farcical frippery, there are some cunningly sharp social and political observations which in places elevate the material to pithy Westminster satire. Party infighting, factions, and very current local election losses all find their way into the text, along with stabs at Michael Gove, Brexit, Keir Starmer, Cabinet Office flunkies, Covid parties, drug taking bureaucrats and a whole host of ministerial low hanging fruit.

Ms Holt's skill in playing freneticism to a close proximity live audience, is not to be underestimated. Nor is Lambourne's support of her — primarily as the face of the Winston-emulating porcelain pissoir. As a team, they deliver an entertaining and pungent drizzle over the current grandstanding and pomposity prevalent in British political life, whilst taking pot shots at Robert Jenrick, Donald Trump and indeed themselves (notably in relation to their sometimes poorly realised impressions of the aforementioned politicos).

CHURCHILL'S URINAL continues at King's Head Theatre until 6th June and plays straight through with a running time of approx 75mins.