ianlouisiana Review of Mapp & Lucia

Mapp & Lucia (2014)

The return of "Silly - Ass" comedy with 100mph delivery.......

[10/10 · 1 January 2015]

Something of an acquired taste this sumptuous feast of cloche hats,monocles,unrestrained snobbery and raised eyebrows,"Mapp and Lucia" digs deep into the British tradition of self - mocking Camp,with arch characters few of whom bear any resemblance to anybody living or indeed anybody living in the period it's set in. But don't let that spoil the fun of watching some fine thesps exceeding their wildest dreams of theatricality as they chew the scenery with unaccustomed relish. This particularly applies to the eponymous characters played with joy unrestrained by Mesdames Chancellor and Richardson who can rarely have had so much fun and remained sober. The great Mr S.Pemberton has tweaked the script and(who can blame him) given his part as Georgie Miss Chancellor's GBF a bit of a flip,and as is his wont,manages to steal the whole show from under the noses of those higher up the bill. It is the story of rivalry between two not particularly likable middle - class women in a small Sussex town apparently stuck in the Edwardian era.Each desperate to outdo the other in social climbing,it could well be adapted to the 21st century,but happily,Mr Pemberton has resisted that temptation and we are treated to a procession of glorious automobiles,wonderful dresses and cobbled English streets,a Vicar from the Black Country who assumes a Scottish accent to increase his credibility,and a number of sexually ambivalent characters who are a little more subtle than might be more usual today. There are also some subtleties in the writing that repay attention to the dialogue when the temptation is to be swept away by all the frivolity. I recommend this wholeheartedly to those seeking respite from the annual Christmas assault on the sensibilities that the TV companies seem to think their captive audience will endure whilst munching mince pies.