The Cabinet Minister: 'sparkling' comedy with a 'satirical sting'
Nancy Carroll's revival of Arthur Wing Pinero's classic farce is a 'life-affirming triumph'

"In theatre as in comedy, timing is everything", said Alun Hood in What's On Stage. So Arthur Wing Pinero's 1890 tale of a "high-ranking MP embroiled in financial scandals" has come to London's Menier Chocolate Factory at just the right moment.
The new adaptation by Nancy Carroll offers an "evening of rare, unexpected pleasure". Directed by Paul Foster, the staging "isn't really a revival but more an all-guns-blazing reinvention of a Victorian farce that, let's be honest, nobody was really gagging to see disinterred".
Carroll also stars as Lady Kitty Twombley, the "scheming, financially incontinent wife" of Sir Julian Twombley (Nicholas Rowe), the titular cabinet minister teetering on the "brink of disaster". Sara Crowe is "deliciously funny" as Julian's "meddlesome" sister, the Dowager Countess of Dumdurris, while Phoebe Fildes and Laurence Ubong Williams are "terrific" as a pair of working-class siblings plotting to "work their way up the social ladder".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
The modern-day parallels with Labour's ongoing gift expenses scandal are "obvious but never belaboured", and Carroll has done a superb "resuscitation job", trimming the running time and getting rid of "extraneous" characters.
It's a comedy as "sparkling as they come", said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian. "Springy, silly and full of satirical sting", the new staging is a "startling reminder of how our world can be deliciously sent up by the past".
"Delightfully pacy" and "elegant", Carroll's adaptation "brims with vitality, full of salacious double entendres" and "unmistakable contemporary political allusions", said Lindsay Johns in The Telegraph. The actor brings "impeccable comedic timing" to her starring role as Lady Kitty, and Janet Bird's period sets and costumes are "enchanting".
The plot is still "pure froth", said Clive Davis in The Times, but Foster has made sure "it's unpacked with real zest", and it zips along "so cheerfully that you barely have time to worry about the snobbery". It's like a "glass of fizz that hits the spot".
Anyone that's looking for a "rollicking good time" will find it here, added Hood. Carroll, Foster and the "sublime" cast have transformed Pinero's Victorian play into a "life-enhancing triumph".
Until 16 November at Menier Chocolate Factory, London SE1
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
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
RFK Jr.'s focus on autism draws the ire of researchers
In the Spotlight Many of Kennedy's assertions have been condemned by experts and advocates
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Protein obsession is oversaturating the health food space
Under the Radar Some experts say that fiber is now the most important macro to focus on
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Codeword: April 23, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Horse around across the globe with these liberating horse-centric activities
The Week Recommends These graceful animals make any experience better
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
7 tranquil hotels worth the (sometimes extreme) trek
The Week Recommends Find serenity off the beaten path
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
6 trackers to help you find everything from your keys to your kids
The Week Recommends These devices offer accuracy and ease
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
6 stellar noctourism adventures
The Week Recommends After the sun sets, the fun begins
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
7 nightlife destinations that are positively electric
The Week Recommends Accra, Seoul, Berlin: These are a few of the cities that come alive after dark
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
The perfect picnic is a grass patch away with this collection of 8 essential portables
The Week Recommends Celebrate warmer weather by dining alfresco
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Unlocking the wonders of Bhutan
The Week Recommends Exploring this Himalayan nation has never been easier
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
6 hotels with amenities that blow the usual gifts out of the water
The Week Recommends You can have a butler walk your dog and a guitar sent to your room. But you cannot have your guitar walked.
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US