Review: Weekend Break by Reform Theatre Company

For the first five minutes Weekend Breaks could have been either. But after a belly-laugh-inducing riff on long-haul air travel, it found its way back to more familiar Godber territory.

Laying human flaws and foibles bare is what he’s good at, and there were plenty to expose here.

Martin (Keith Hukin), university lecturer and wannabe scriptwriter, his life a proverbial car crash, retreated to the Lake District to lick his wounds and work on his latest blockbuster.

But he made a big mistake. He invited his parents for the weekend.

Mum (Annie Sawle) was the kind who found fault with every little thing, especially Martin.

Dad (Rob Angell) had a tablet for every part of his body.

What followed was a wincingly funny exploration of an all too familiar relationship: middle-aged son who has outgrown his background and now inhabits a different world, driven to distraction – or desperate measures – by parents he has nothing in common with.

Reform Theatre Company put the three characters across with their usual polish, and delivered Godber’s quickfire, corrosively hilarious dialogue with assurance and perfect timing.

Weekend Breaks was at the Pomegranate on Tuesday for one night.