A Taste of Honey: 'wonderful' revival remains 'vital and relevant'
The 'period-perfect' production features a 'universally excellent cast'
![Rowan Robinson as Josephine and Jill Halfpenny as Helen in a scene from A Taste of Honey](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YUD3s48wPvVLLkXXBYCWgf-415-80.jpg)
Shelagh Delaney's unflinching debut – which she wrote when she was still in her teens – was a "real jolt to the system" when it premiered at The Theatre Royal, Stratford, in 1958, said Chris Bartlett in The Stage.
It tells the story of Jo, a white teenager from Salford who has a troubled relationship with her alcoholic mother, is left pregnant as a result of an affair with a black sailor, and befriends a gay artist, with whom she forms an unconventional family. Written nine years before homosexual acts were decriminalised, it "opened theatregoers' eyes to a hitherto unexplored side of British society". There is a risk that a "kitchen-sink" drama of that era will no longer seem "vital and relevant" to modern audiences. But Emma Baggott's "period-perfect" production dispels such concerns. It nails the "horribly dysfunctional" mother-daughter relationship at the play's core, and leans into its "dreamy magic realism" to great effect.
"A Taste of Honey" is a "brilliantly written, beautifully structured work of theatre, as worthy of revival as the socially conscious dramas of Ibsen", said Mark Brown in The Daily Telegraph. And its "passion and pathos" are fully captured here by "a universally excellent cast". As the mother, Jill Halfpenny is "suitably monstrous, but with an intelligent, underlying and brittle fragility"; and there are also "fine performances" from Obadiah as the sailor, Jimmie, and David Moorst as Geoffrey, Jo's friend.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Most impressive of all, though, said Clive Davis in The Times is Rowan Robinson as Jo – "headstrong, wayward and hard to love". Herself from Salford, and making her professional stage debut, Robinson delivers a remarkably mature performance as the "mercurial" young woman "caught between juvenile dreams and adult realities".
The evening has some flaws, said Matt Barton on What's on Stage. The script becomes "declarative" at points; the whole thing could do with a trim; and I wasn't convinced by the way the play is given an "empowering and galvanising" end note: the characters, after all, only get a taste of a better life. Still, this is for the most part a "wonderful" revival that makes Delaney's play "glow" anew.
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Until 13 April Running time: 2hrs 50mins
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The lab-made meat that 'could kill the EU'
Under The Radar Concerned at 'unintended consequences for farming' some farmers are 'turning rabid' over the rise of cultured meat
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The Week Recommends The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell
By The Week UK Published
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Have a seaside escape in Newport, Rhode Island
The Week Recommends For the quintessential New England experience, head to the Classic Coast
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Simone Biles: Rising – an 'elegantly paced and vulnerable' portrait of the gymnast
The Week Recommends Netflix's four-part documentary is more than a 'riveting comeback story'
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Is Maika Monroe the first feminist scream queen?
The Week Recommends The 'Longlegs' star has blazed a unique trail for herself in horror
By David Faris Published
-
The world's best floating hotels
The Week Recommends Leave dry land behind at these peaceful buoyant retreats
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published