Maureen Lipman John Middleton, Elizabeth Bower and Bailey Patrick in Allegra at Richmond Theatre and Touring. Picture: Marc Brenner
Allegra was reviewed at the Richmond Theatre, London. The tour continues until 8 August 2026.
Rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The titular Allegra (Maureen Lipman) is a lithe, irrepressible, ever-cheerful elderly eccentric. She gets up at 3pm, doesn’t buy food and sings songs and dances wherever she goes to such an extent that noise nuisance and restraining orders are in the air. Although it’s never mentioned or discussed she probably has some unusual form of dementia.
Her long-suffering brother Ronen (John Middleton) certainly thinks so which is why he installs a carer (Elizabeth Bower). Police Officer Rogers (Bailey Patrick) has to call increasingly often. And that’s it as far as narrative goes – none of it is developed although there’s plenty of laugh-out-loud situation comedy.
Lipman’s is an extraordinary performance. Her rapier sharp timing throws the best lines in the play back at whoever she’s talking to and she’s hilarious with her knowing logic and shiny curly hair. Even her feet manage to be funny. She’s also full of dramatic energy despite quipping at curtain call that “80 is the new 40”.
Born in 1946, she is touring for the first time in 30 years and will do eight shows a week for a while yet. She does a lot of singing in this show because that’s Allegra’s “thing” and occasionally the lighting changes and she goes into a sort of trance in which she does a full dance and song routine, sometimes with the rest of the cast. An example is the umbrella-twirling ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ – all choreographed by director Stephen Mear. It’s as if there’s a musical in this show which is trying to get out but it doesn’t sit very coherently.
The other three cast members rise to Lipman’s quality and in their different ways are all excellent: Middleton, always the serious voice of exasperated common sense; Bower the twinkling carer cooking delicious meals; and Patrick as the policeman trying to be firm but getting drawn into the silliness in spite of himself.
This show is entertaining twaddle. In places it’s very funny and Lipman is a stage commander like no other. But there’s no substance or depth to it.
It’s odd to see a show which manages to be weak on many counts but also quite watchable.
Susan Elkin
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