Somerset Maugham is often seen as a cynical ironist but in his last play, written in 1933, the asperity is offset by a radical idealism. His hero, Sheppey, is a benign barber who wins £8,500 on the Irish sweepstake and decides to live according to the precepts of the New Testament. It’s a stunning theatrical premise marred only by an evasive conclusion.
Maugham sets the situation up well by showing Sheppey at work with his rich clients in Jermyn Street. The fun starts, however, when he shocks his family by bringing home a thief and a modern Mary Magdalene and telling his daughter, Florrie, and her fiance, Ernie, that he plans to give his money to those in need. Maugham skewers beautifully the self-interestedness of a society that believes Christianity should be preached rather than practised. Ernie, sounding just like those who today dismiss people on benefits as “scroungers”, rails against “indiscriminate charity”. A doctor, called in to assess Sheppey’s mental state, announces “a sane man doesn’t give his money to the poor – a sane man takes money from the poor”.
Even if Maugham finally takes refuge in hallucination, Paul Miller’s buoyant production underscores the social satire. John Ramm, following in the footsteps of Ralph Richardson and Bob Hoskins, is excellent as Sheppey: he makes him a good-hearted innocent perplexed by the hostility his redistribution of resources attracts. Katie Moore as Florrie and Josh Dylan as Ernie epitomise youthful outrage, and Dickie Beau lends the sex worker a touch of mystery. What is shocking is the realisation that a modern Sheppey would still be treated as a demented pariah.
- At the Orange Tree, Richmond, until 7 January. Box office: 020-8940 3633.
