For a first time reviewer this was a joy to witness. “The Last Days of Liz Truss” by Oxia Theatre company was a success. The show is set on her last morning as Prime Minister and Truss addresses the audience, talking about her life and time in politics with interjections from an offstage voice as she waits for the fateful knock on the door.

Unlike her character’s time in office, Emma Wilkinson Wright’s portrayal of our disgraced Prime Minister flourished and developed from beginning to end. Moments of utter melodrama were cleverly integrated with those of vulnerability and self-loathing in this unique one-woman play. Wilkinson Wright’s work behind the scenes to nail the mannerisms and voice of Liz Truss did not go unnoticed as her performance was constantly energised, humorous and bold.

However, another standout for me was Steve Nallon of Spitting Image fame. Just like the comedy we all know I love, I was positively creasing at his voice overs throughout the show. His impressions that ranged from Margaret Thatcher to Jacob Rees-Mogg, each had their own joyous idiosyncrasies that acted as such a lovely comic relief to a story we all know was far from jovial. 

I mustn’t forget the incredible writing too. Greg Wilkinson does a brilliant job telling this story in a way that clearly gives us the facts but doesn’t alienate Liz as the villain of the story by any means. The prose was coherent, beautifully crafted and most of all managed to bring a different view to such a large part of the UK’s political history. 

The set was a minimalistic portrayal of Truss’ office in Downing Street and was cleverly littered with props that all eventually aided the story. The lighting was simplistic yet effective. Moments of focused lighting on Wilkinson Wright for serious “signpost” moments melded well with naturalistic washes for the main bulk of story telling

The show was all round a very positive experience and I honestly came away learning so much more about that unsettling time in our political history. The White Bear Theatre was intimate and stunning and I’m sure to go there again. I hope the rest of the run goes well. Get yourself down there for a pint before and enjoy this cracking show. 

Review by Billy Marsden

The Last Days of Liz Truss is on at The White Bear theatre until 14th December. You can find out more and book tickets here.

If you liked this review you might also like my review of Hadestown, Operation Mincemeat and Moulin Rouge.