'The Constituent' review – James Corden makes an impressive stage return in this sharply topical political play

Read our review of The Constituent, starring Anna Maxwell Martin as an MP and Corden as a distressed father, now in performances at the Old Vic to 10 August.

Is there room for compassion in politics? It’s a potent question during this febrile election campaign, the timing of which makes Joe Penhall’s sharp new play The Constituent even more topical. This premiere also heralds the return of actor-turned-American talk show host James Corden, who hasn’t been on a British stage since his award-winning performance in One Man, Two Guvnors.

Corden plays former soldier Alec, who served in Afghanistan and now works in security. After installing a camera and panic button for opposition backbench MP Monica, he starts pouring out his troubles: he’s going through a divorce, his ex has a new boyfriend, and he’s in danger of losing his kids because of a threat he made – though he says it was just words, and he would never actually harm anyone.

That fragile distinction is key here as Alec grows obsessive to the point of harassment, demanding that Monica change the law to advocate for dads like him. When he brings shotgun shells into her office, is that an implicit threat? Parliamentary protection officer Mellor thinks the worst, supplying Monica with a stab vest and a dose of paranoia.

Monica genuinely believes in public service and her constituents having open access to her. But how long can she maintain that policy while also staying safe? You only have to look at real-world examples to understand her predicament, whether it’s the horrific murder of Jo Cox, the constant online harassment of MPs like Jess Philips, or the recent attack on Stella Creasy’s constituency office.

As Monica puts it, at this rate the only people going into politics will be “the narcissists and thrill-seekers who don’t mind the risk”. Penhall also weaves in numerous references that point to a wider crisis, such as the chronic underfunding of local councils and nurses on zero-hours contracts.

The ideas occasionally supersede the people, but the strong cast, and a good amount of humour in Penhall’s script, keep us gripped. Corden begins in familiar motormouthed Smithy territory and lands all of the cheeky jokes, such as quipping that he had an inherent culture clash with his wife because “she’s from Lewisham, I’m from Shepherd’s Bush”.

However that makes his transition into a desperate, unpredictable, even frightening man all the more effective. We see pride and anger warring with shame and despair – plus his PTSD and anti-psychotic medication, a dangerous cocktail. He’s a symbol of toxic masculinity, shaped by and perpetuating violence, but Corden also imbues him with an affecting bewilderment at how his world has changed.

Anna Maxwell Martin is excellent as Monica: quick-witted, sardonic, vigorously engaged if bureaucratic, while demonstrating in her nervous body language how she’s becoming increasingly scared – even as she protests that she won’t be ruled by fear. It takes her anxious child’s inquiries for her to drop her defences in a wrenching vulnerable moment.

Zachary Hart is great comic support as police constable Mellor, who generally adds to Monica’s stress instead of relieving it, and whose blinkered ideas and dodgy activities (sadly believable) lead to a dangerous escalation.

Matthew Warchus’s combative traverse staging, with a bank of the audience seated onstage, works a treat, creating a claustrophobic intensity and forcing us to look at ourselves – we are responsible here too. The scene changes could be much shorter though, especially in such a taut 90-minute piece.

In a cynical world, Penhall’s play is notable for its empathy – a quality that Monica strives for, and which is baked into the show at a fundamental level. Fixing our system so that it supports everyone, including genuinely good MPs? That gets my vote.

The Constituent is at the Old Vic to 10 August. Book The Constituent tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: The Constituent (Photos by Manuel Harlan)