Theatre review: Ben and Imo

When Elizabeth II became Queen in 1952, composer Benjamin Britten (Samuel Barnett) was commissioned to write a grand opera to be premiered as part of the Coronation celebrations. With only 9 months to do it in, he was forced to take on a musical assistant, something he agreed to only if he could hire his friend Imogen Holst (Victoria Yeates,) who had fulfilled a similar role for her late father Gustav. Mark Ravenhill's Ben and Imo, originally seen at the RSC last year, is a fictional imagining of their personal and professional relationship as they worked on Gloriana, an opera about Elizabeth I in honour of her sequel. The two-hander is an uneven but often interesting look at the toxic behaviour of genius - a common theme of American drama, but here given the twist of a very British type of toxicity.

Britten and his unseen boyfriend Peter - a tenor slated to play the male lead of Essex in Gloriana - were apparently notorious for the brutal way they ditched friends who crossed them or outlasted their usefulness, and Imo comes into the working relationship aware of that reputation.

But their exchanges almost always hold onto the appearance of warmth and friendliness at least. In fact although witty and sharp, the first act does sometimes feel a bit drawn out as we see their dynamic: Ben's genius seen in bursts of creativity, but Imo showing that there's a quieter, less appreciated kind of genius in sanding the rough edges off the work the composer doesn't have the patience to look for himself; not to mention the emotional intelligence to act as a mix of sounding board, friend and nanny to an overgrown public schoolboy.

The second act is harsher but more interesting as we delve into the ways Ben has been using Imo - flattering her talent while never intending to properly acknowledge her contribution, planning to get rid of her while asking her to stay longer, and even using his discomfort at discussing money to avoid paying her for months of work. Imo is smart enough to be aware of what he's doing but not detached enough not to be affected by it, and I found it interesting how her setting herself up as his permanent assistant isn't an act of sacrifice to stop him doing the same to others: Rather that, having lived through the experience once, she's turned the power dynamic around by putting his behaviour under the microscope.

I'm not sure why Barnett has to rearrange Soutra Gilmour's set between every scene to match the way the central piano revolves: Erica Whyman's production is dynamic enough to block everything to every side at all times anyway, although I guess the front row probably appreciates the furniture not being stuck in front of the same audience member all the time. I also didn't think the thread of a flirtation between the pair added much or went anywhere. But the mix of Barnett's charm hiding the viciousness beneath, and Yeates' jolly hockey sticks persona hiding its strength, makes for a chemistry that's the best thing about the show.

Ben and Imo by Mark Ravenhill is booking until the 17th of May at the Orange Tree Theatre.

Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes including interval.

Photo credit: Ellie Kurttz.