Man and Boy review – Rattigan’s murky reunion staged in silver-screen style

2026-02-11 - 14:15

Dorfman theatre, London A financier facing corruption charges is reunited with his son in this high-concept mishmash of screwball comedy and financial thriller The National Theatre is certainly mixing it up. A debut writer was showcased on its biggest stage last autumn (Nima Taleghani with Bacchae). Now a canonical playwright is in a space associated with the new and edgy – although Terence Rattigan fans may not recognise his lesser-performed 1963 play. It charts the fall of a megalomaniacal Romanian financier, Gregor Antonescu (Ben Daniels), and his reunion with his estranged son, Basil Anthony (Laurie Kynaston). The latter has changed his name and is trying to make it as a songwriter when Gregor re-enters his life, beleaguered with corruption charges and on the verge of exposure. Continue reading...