It's time for my review of Humble Boy!For the first time since December, I once again had the pleasure of visiting the Orange Tree Theatre, and this time I was off to see the revival of the 2001 hit play 'Humble Boy'. Loosely based off of Hamlet, Humble Boy is a comedy about broken vows, failed hopes and the joys of beekeeping. All is not well in the Humble hive. 35 year old Felix Humble is a Cambridge astro-physicist in search of a unified field theory. Following the sudden death of his father, he returns to his middle England and his difficult and demanding mother, where he soon realises that his search for unity must include his own chaotic home life.
The story of Humble Boy is an extremely interesting one, which is mainly as a result of themes that are explored. Humble Boy examines a number of topics, including dysfunctional relationships, reversed social hierarchy and humility. All of the themes that are featured within Humble Boy are very important; they are all topics that the vast majority of us will have encountered over our lifetime. The unique perspectives that Charlotte Jones provides in regards to these themes are fascinating. I personally found the subject of dysfunctional relationships within the play to be the most interesting out of all of themes that are featured, as it seemed to be the most relatable. Jones shows us that even relationships that appear to be quite normal are later proven to also be dysfunctional, as well as demonstrating that even the most dysfunctional of all relationships can be healed. My only critique of the writing was that I personally did not feel that Humble Boy needed to be as long as it was. The play currently stands at 2 hours and a half, including a 20 minute interval, and I believe that this could be cut down to, at least, 2 and a quarter hours. There were a few pieces of dialogue within act one that felt a little too long, and that is how I would have made it shorter.
All of the cast members within Humble Boy are exceptional! Leading this cast as the 'Humble Boy' himself is Jonathan Broadbent in the role of Felix Humble. Broadbent is extremely well suited to the part of Felix, making his performance both believable and outstanding. As his not-so-humble Mother, it is Belinda Lang in the role of Flora Humble that steals the show! The character of Flora is originally introduced as being cold and cruel-hearted, however as the play goes on, we see that Flora does indeed have a good and warmer side to her. Lang does a truly excellent job of conveying all of the different sides of Flora, resulting in an absolutely phenomenal performance. The other four cast members that feature in Humble Boy are: Paul Bradley as George Pye, Rebekah Hinds as Rosie Pye, Christopher Ravenscroft as Jim and Selina Cadell as Mercy Lott, all of whom are equally mesmerising, magnificent and memorable!
The set design of Humble Boy, which has been created by Simon Daw, is strikingly creative. The set shows the beautiful garden belonging to the Humble family, consisting of grass, bushes, flowers, a greenhouse, and last but not least, a beehive! In the past, the sets for all of the productions that I have seen at the Orange Tree Theatre have been fairly minimal, so it was a really nice surprise to see how much effort had gone into the set of Humble Boy.
The featured star of Humble Boy is, drum roll please... BELINDA LANG!
The range Belinda Lang demonstrated in Humble Boy was exceptional. Flora Humble is a complicated character with a range of feelings and emotions and Lang captures this to great effect. Belinda Lang excelled at demonstrating every single side of Flora; she really was phenomenal!
Now for my final verdict on Humble Boy. I give Humble Boy...
Whilst I felt that Humble Boy did not need to be as long as it was, there is no question that Charlotte Jones is an exceptional playwright. With an interesting story and an outstanding cast, I have chosen to award Humble Boy three stars!
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
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