Review: Keeping Down with the Joneses

The Annex was transformed into a nuclear bunker last week as Theatre Group presented their latest performance of Keeping Down with the Joneses.

The play, centred around wealthy politician Geoffrey Jones (played by Joel Jackson) and his family, sees the characters accidentally locked in a bomb shelter beneath Jones’ garden. As they go through stages of panic, relationships are redefined and new bonds are formed between the strange companions.

Jay Dave unquestionably steals the show as the hapless milkman Mr Patel, but all the actors are ultimately believable and convincing in their roles. The first half succeeded in producing an engrossing sense of claustrophobic paranoia, along with some decent laughs. Alexander Curtis arriving in the bunker as Raymond Blake (the pornographer who lives next door) is a high point of the performance.

Unfortunately, this Cold War era farce is frequently let down by heavy foreshadowing of both gags and plot elements. The script generally feels like a rejected Fawlty Towers special. The humour is very dated and really not everyone’s cup of tea, but the strength of the cast and the quality of the production team ensure it’s still an enjoyable show.

The second half was certainly weaker than the first, as Joel Jackson’s character lost much of his own identity and basically turned into John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty. David Gilani showing up in a fairly pointless cameo at least moved the plot towards a conclusion, but failed to provide proceedings with any fresh humour.

Ultimately, it’s the female roles who hold the show together, since the male characters seem fundamentally unable to relate to each other. Again, though, this a shortcoming of the script, and the cast are never less than brilliant. I did enjoy the show but I do hope that next time Theatre Group pick something to perform that’ll better showcase their talents.