World Premiere Betty A Sort of Musical - Royal Exchange Theatre

TAKE it from one who knows, breaking the glass ceiling isn’t easy. It can be a lonely and uncertain place, your ambition fuelled and sustained by a hidden force and determination. But should we have to jump through metaphorical hoops to get what we want out of life? No, of course we shouldn’t.

So it was with Betty Boothroyd, who became first and to date only female speaker of the House of Commons.

A straight talking, no nonsense Yorkshire lass who was fiercely proud of her working class roots, the former Tiller Girl reigned in the Commons between 1992 and 2000.

Now she’s the subject of a musical, well a sort of musical, playing over Christmas at the Royal Exchange.

If you’re a panto phobic, this show will tick all the boxes for you and you don’t have to be particularly au fait with the world of politics to enjoy.

The writing, from the pens of Maxine Peake and Seiriol Davies, has the warmth of Victoria Wood. But with more bite.

Some of the lines in the script are priceless and I for one can’t wait for these two to embark on another theatrical outing again, sooner rather than later.

A group of amateur actors, from the stereotyped world of amateur theatre complete with wobbly sets and missed cues, are putting on a show to celebrate Betty B and her rise to the top.

All of human life is in this tight little group, from Meredith, the producer, to Meredith’s long suffering daughter Angela. For Meredith, played by Peake herself, think Hitler in a trouser suit. Eva Scott is perfect as the long suffering Angela and we hope, more hope than expectation, she will one day escapes the clutches of her dreadful parent.

Joan Kempson delights as the sardonic Hazel and the afore mentioned Davies very nearly brought the house down as the sole male Calvin.

His score is decent rather than memorable, with the lyrics frequently leaving behind the music in terms of their impact.

While the first half of the show is undoubtedly the best, there’s much to enjoy after the interval, with political luminaries Betty met engagingly brought to life by a multi-talented cast who enjoyed the production as much as we did watching it.

Until January 14. Tickets are available from 0161 833 9833 or www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Star rating - 3.5 out of 5.