Theatre: The Last of the Hausmanns

The Last of the Hausmanns by Stephen Beresford, Julie Walters, Rory Kinnear, Helen McCrory

Atomic. A deceptively comic play about disintegration. The Hausmanns' dynasty and family-stock are re-aligned. Judy Hausmann is the last of the bohemians – free-thinking, free-loving and free-boozing – she accepts her fate; think Chekov’s Raneveskaya. Judy’s neurotic daughter, Libby, tries to keep things together, while her son, Nicky, unfulfilled in life and love escapes as crises surface. Surrounded by sundry characters - Summer, Libby’s abrasive yet drive-in-the-wedge daughter, Peter ‘the good doctor’ who buys into Judy’s free-wheeling spirit, and speedo-clad Daniel, who has free access to the family’s outdoor swimming pool – the seasonal summer swelters. Judy Hausmann is a natural vehicle for Julie Walters - snappy one-liners, good character and observational detail - but it would be wrong to dismiss it as derivative. Walters is feisty and her timing perfect. Helen McCrory and Rory Kinnear as the siblings, crackle. While the other characters puncture this Devon idyll, with its ingenious clutter, colour and hippy sound track, in a random bid towards progress. If there is a message then it's 'be yourself.'….The Cherry Orchard it isn’t, but this is an impressive debut by Beresford.