How’s the World Treating You?

Over three acts, spanning three decades, Frank More (Matthew Carter) is
the “you” of the title, as he blunders haplessly from an army transit
camp post-War, to marrying into an upper-class family and finally
suffering his downfall in 1966 after years of selling washing machines.
All his life he wanted to become Headmaster of Eton, but war and life
got in the way of his promise to his mother. Everyone he meets is
bonkers, ignoring his lack of trousers or talking to imaginary dogs
called Maureen. There’s a nod to a moral about personal responsibility,
but it’s glossed over to focus on the humour.

Projected historical Pathe News segments and music neatly set the scene
before each act (although The Hollies’ “Air That I Breathe” is actually
from 1974, not 1966 when Act 3 takes place).

The play has all the ingredients to work as a surreal comedy
but needs to be played extremely broadly, with a knowing disregard for
the blatant silliness of the plot. Stephen Glover‘s direction is
nimble, but doesn’t go far enough in developing the madness. The first
act falls flat, despite some visually funny moments when Frank lose both
his troop and his trousers. The “nudge nudge wink wink” ogling of the
pretty Corporal doesn’t work either, with the cast looking embarrassed
to be playing such an anchronism and watering it down.

Act 2 suffers
from the plot hinging on 16-year-old Diedre being seven months’ pregnant by
Frank, her history teacher, 20 years her senior. In the 1960s, this
might have seemed funny in an “Ooo-er missus” way. Fifty years later,
and even though Frank “makes an honest woman” of Diedre, it turns him
into a deeply unsympathetic figure.

In Act 3 though, the daftness really takes wing, and finally develops
the level of surreal joy captured by the Goons and Monty Python. This
is almost entirely due to the appearance of Mrs Scace (known as Rover),
played with total conviction and gusto by Gillian Cally. She gloriously
shakes every last bit of comedy out of the role, with the rest of the
talented cast stepping up the pace.

How’s The World Treating You? is an enjoyably daft romp and
Silver Thread are to be commended for resuscitating it. Pump a bit more
oomph into the first two acts and this would be a real comedy gem.

– Carole Gordon