Young Marx review, Bridge Theatre

Exiled in London we find the the Young Marx penniless but irrepressible, escaping his debtors over the rooftops of Soho. It is 1850. At home his wife is constantly packing her bags and threatening to leave. Their son is sick in the back room. Young Marx is in crisis. Expelled from Germany as a terrorist, he has found refuge but lost his mojo. He can drink and fight, but he just can't write. And he can't find peace either because there's no money, he's run out of things to pawn, and his fawning acolytes keep turning up unwelcome and unannounced. Only his bestie, Engels, provides relief.

In Young Marx, Marx and Engels are the Morecambe and Wise of political economy. At one point they steal the church gate and discuss who can piss highest while defacing its walls. It's a whole new way of presenting the author of The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital and Rory Kinnear is on cracking form as the Young Marx. Some of the scenarios are so outlandish - the baby with two dads, the duel, Darwin in the British Library - I assumed they were pure invention. But... a quick look online shows almost all happened though some at different times. You live and learn

Young Marx is the first production by Nicholas Hytner in his new theatre, the Bridge. It's an auspicious start. The team is one he used at the National Theatre - the brilliant playwright Richard Bean (One Man Two Guv'nors/England People Very Nice/Great Britain) in collaboration here with Clive Coleman, design by Mark Thompson, music Grant Olding, sound Paul Arditti, and Mark Henderson's lighting. The venue is spacious yet intimate with reasonably priced seating and good views all the way up. There are freshly baked nibbles in the interval. Allow extra time if driving as the main road is closed and it's mayhem - a lesson learned by the coach party which arrived 30 minutes late...

In conclusion: Fans of slapstick one-liners and blokey silliness will love Young Marx and the witty allusions to his work, his thinking, his influence, and modern socialism. It is probably no coincidence that it debuts in the month which marks the centenary of the October Revolution. Kinnear and Oliver Chris as Engels are glorious. Great support too from a team including Nancy Carroll, Laura Elphinstone, Eben Figueiredo, and Miltos Yerelemou. Previewing to Thursday.


Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London SE1 2SG. Run ends 31 December
Live cinema streaming December 7