The Stage

Cloud Nine

Published Thursday 1 November 2007 at 12:05 by Aleks Sierz

First staged in 1979, Caryl Churchill’s playfully gender-bending and wonderfully theatrical show gives us a vivid impression of the sex war in the heyday of radical feminism - and before the arrival of AIDS.

While the first part is set in colonial Africa, and demonstrates the male colonisation of women in Victorian times, the second half is set in the liberated seventies.

Although some 100 years have passed, the characters remain the same and have aged only 25 years. So although some of the discussions about lesbian feminism, gay cruising and sexual liberation have a slightly dated air, the theatrical flair of the piece and its jokes about men feel as fresh as when they were first penned.

Thea Sharrock, who directed a memorable version of Top Girls in 2002, presents a warm-hearted and vivid production in which the first half is brightly satirical and the second only a touch more serious. On Peter McKintosh’s attractive set, the cast directly addresses the audience, which gives a welcome sense of openness and hilarity to the play.

Although this is very much an ensemble piece, mention must be made of Nicola Walker, who plays an energetic male child in the first part and a granny who discovers the joys of masturbation in the second. Similarly, Sophie Stanton is excellent in her three roles - as a Scottish governess, Victorian lady and working-class lesbian.

James Fleet gives the colonial Clive a nicely quivering stiff upper lip and then morphs humorously into the child Cathy, while Tobias Menzies, Bo Poraj, Mark Letheren and Joanna Scanlan are all equally excellent - this play is an absolute joy for both actors and audience.