In an Iowa hotel room during the state primary to elect a candidate for the presidential race, two opposing campaign managers square up. Jerry has every reason to be confident knowing that his man, Henry, is 15 points ahead in the polls. But Mary has a gleam in her eye that suggests that, like an ace poker-player, she has something up her sleeve.
So it proves: in an American election in which it is the candidates' personalities, not their policies that count, Henry's wife, Alex, and her past are about to prove a liability. Or are they? In the world of political spin, the bad can be turned to your advantage just as easily as the good.
Now that we in Britain are all so familiar with Alastair Campbell, the moment for Robert William Sherwood's play may have passed. But while its cynicism about the political process is probably somewhat less than the audience's, it is still extremely watchable and funny. "Alex can you cry? Don't worry, we can teach you," is the spin-doctors' response to the painful revelations about her life, oblivious to the fact that she may be genuinely hurting.
There is a schematic feel to the play that lessens its impact. But its wit and its jaundiced view of human nature is spot on, the production is sharp and in the bilious Jerry, a man who so believes his own press releases he has lost all touch with reality, Sherwood has created one of the most memorable stage monsters of recent years.
Until January 30. Box office: 0171-793 9193
