If given the chance to spend an evening with any individual beyond the grave most would be reluctant to pick the obnoxious, multi-millionaire newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell unless they were a pensioner with a bone to pick. But here at the assembly rooms you are given that very opportunity.
From his childhood in Czechoslovakia to his death on his luxury yacht we are treated to a personal insight of this growling behemoth's rise and fall. This solid portrayal of Maxwell seeks to persuade you to his point of view and to get round all the lies.
This will not be to the tastes of all. The issue here lies in the subject matter and its accessibility. Those on the soft side of 30 may well likely find they do not want to spend an evening with Robert Maxwell, a figure who may have meant little save for a few playground jokes about buoyancy. Though for those who have an experience of the figure will find that Philip York's full throttle, bellowing depiction of the man is spot on. He pounds onto the stage, quaffing champagne and Beluga, sweating and swearing his way through the hour with an energy of a rampant bull. Yet for all the plaudits given to York's portrayal, at times it feels that he focusses on how he is speaking and not what he is saying, concentrating on character and not content. Unfortunately this results in many of the monologues that tumbling rapidly out with little behind them save Maxwellian cadence and gesticulation. The show also suffers from being peppered with cheap sound effects that detract from the otherwise solid hour. Most definitely a show that will not draw everyone but one that will be a rewardingly candid and uncomfortable experience for those that do.
