I CAN’T say I knew what to expect when Sarah Jessica Parker stepped out onto the stage of the Savoy Theatre – that is, other than the eruption of applause she got with each move.
But with a quarter-of-a-century passing since we first saw her in Sex and the City, she still hasn’t shaken off Carrie Bradshaw, and it’s increasingly hard to see her as anyone else.
So appearing on stage dressed as a 60s housewife, it is – at least from my spot in the dress circle – hard to tell who you’re initially looking at. It certainly isn’t the character she’s best known for.
Plaza Suite, written by Neil Simon, follows three couples staying in the deluxe suite – with the actress and her husband Matthew Broderick, 61, playing each across three separate acts.
With brunette hair and an oversized skirt suit, Sarah, 58, is first bubbling ball of energy Karen, who checks into room 719 at the New York Hotel to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
She and her deadbeat spouse Sam spends much of their skit arguing over whether they are in the same room as their honeymoon, and the real date of their anniversary, before he reveals he’s having an affair with his secretary.
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After the curtain closes for the interval, she re-appears as Muriel – a starry-eyed country girl visiting her former hometown flame Jesse Kiplinger, a three-times divorced Hollywood producer.
Despite being ‘happily married’ she’s wooed into the bedroom with vodka stingers and sweet talk before a second, shorter curtain down.
This time, Sarah appears finally as a flamboyantly dressed Mrs Hubley – whose daughter locks herself in the bathroom ahead of her glamorous, and expensive, Plaza wedding.
While Mr Hubley scales the side of the building and tries to kick down the door, she dramatically swoons and clings to his coat-tails as they find out daughter Mimsie is avoiding her big moment all in order to avoid one day ending up just like her parents.
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There’s no real conclusion to any of the stories, we just simply have a look – as if you’re peering through the keyhole of a hotel room – at three marriages in their rawest, and most complicated, form.
The two-and-a-half hour experience could set you back anything from £25 to £395 – if you’re looking for a bottle of champagne and an interval ice cream as part of a deluxe package.
Eye-watering prices for the stalls – but if like me, you’re not fussy about breathing in the air that the Sex and the City star breathes out (which some mega-fans might), there’s nothing wrong with a cheap seat.
And ultimately, if you’re looking for a spot of fun theatre, Sarah’s delightfully silly, giddy, witty and teetering on the verge of camp delivery – and no stuttering of this quick script – makes it worth it.
Clearly some of the silver screen’s finest agree with me, with the actress already pulling in an A-list audience including Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Olivia Williams and Hannah Waddingham, just to name a few.
Written in the 60s, the play is, of course, challenging viewing – there’s an outdated depiction of the sexes and marriage.
But, those put off are missing the point clear as day to me: you’re supposed to be laughing at it, and it’s supposed to be a little uncomfortable to watch.
And most importantly, in some ways, the play itself is beside the point… the likelihood is that most of the audience is coming to see SJP on stage, and not necessarily the 1968 production.
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I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
★★★★
