Sex, drama and a royal damp squib: QUENTIN LETTS reviews Queen Anne at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket

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At the centre is Queen Anne, played by Emma Cunniffe as an dismal stodge, almost disabled by cramps and sadness about her many lost children and her indeterminate friendship with Sarah. I allay can not decide if her performance was ineptly downbeat or bright true to life.

As girls, Anne and Wife were close — very rapid, we are led to believe. Anne tries to mush Sarah, but is rebuffed.

They allay address each other by old sobriquet and Sarah runs the Queen’s home. She exploits the Queen’s unrequited crush to direct her politically.

Romola Garai is OK as Wife, but could we not have more nervousness, more sexual charisma, enhanced dash and drive?

Miss Garai is not utterly to blame. She is saddled with a dud of a economize, Chu Omambala not for a moment convincing as the conqueror of Blenheim and Malplaquet. John General was one of England’s most hard-bitten warriors. We should be versed to smell the dust of battle off his moving cape. Mr Omambala offers a break, two-dimensional figure. Dreadful circuit by Natalie Abrahami.

Everything is artificial in front of semi-circular court-panelling, some of whose doors were jutting at Monday’s opening night. Site of courtly intrigue in or near the Ideal’s bedchamber are interspersed with unlikely scenes of bawdy singing by governmental satirists of the era, including Jonathan Lively.

These are tiresome, as is some of the cursive writing. A character says ‘I’m glad to let this opportunity to speak with you’, as notwithstanding that a 21st-century American businessman. Thither is talk of someone else ‘losing his job’ and added being ‘suspended pending an examination’.

Where the production scores is in the designing by the Speaker of the Commons and the Lord Premier (well done by James Garnon and Richard Belief).

A creepy, sly Speaker? Now there’s a person! Several lines about the ineptitude of the Scots and the partisan posturing of Borough politics raise laughs.

Anne barrow the politicians to think of the country’s advantage rather than their own specialize interests. Same old, huh?

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