Today's youth might think Mary Whitehouse was some cartoonish figure-of-fun. A prude and a bigot, leftover from the Victorian era. Not at all. Known as the most dangerous woman in England at the time, she wreaked havoc. The Playhouse's brand new play shares the horror...
Nearly fifty years on, it’s mind-bogglingly difficult to digest that a churchgoing zealot from Middle England had such a firm grip on the moral compass of the nation’s psyche – but fervently grasp it she did. In a world where three-day weeks, Sunday closing, three channels on the telly and one in ten still attending church existed, a Warwickshire-born firebrand with blockbusting charisma was a metronome for the rhythm of social and cultural life for many – it’s quite the developmental arc from drones, TikTok and Deliveroo.
Written by Caroline Bird (who recently staged Red Ellen here about a totemic figure from the opposite end of the spectrum – Labour MP, Ellen Wilkinson) and superbly directed by Sarah Frankcom, this two-handed play based around the last years of ultra conservative activist Mary Whitehouse proves both riveting, highly amusing and thought-provoking in equal measure.
Starring acclaimed and much-loved actress Maxine Peake in the lead role and Samuel Barnett, who expertly navigates a plethora of transient characters that dip in and out of the performance throughout - it is a tour de force of staging, lighting and costume changes.
The script centres around Mrs Whitehouse’s court case in 1977 against a now defunct publication Gay News (copies of which are on show in the foyer) and a poem printed within it, which she vehemently believed libelled Jesus and the Christian faith.
A series of struggling young men, youth leaders, vicars and liberal journalists all attempt to do battle over her fearsome views on sexuality and the promotion of homosexuality with various degrees of success
So strident and assured in her views, which are delivered with knowing, and, often, unknowing humour, the fearless single-mindedness of both Brian Clough (whom I imagine would have loved and hated her in equal measure) and Margaret Thatcher are brought to mind.
So, it’s no surprise a later scene held at 10 Downing Street over shared baked goods, sees an appearance by the polemic former prime minister (played wonderfully knowingly by Barnett) who takes to the stage to a chorus of pantomime-esque boos.
Staged in dressing rooms, TV sets and her own beloved garden, in her role as president of the National Listeners’ and Viewers’ Association, Peake’s Whitehouse powerfully takes on the believed degradation of modern society and Christian values. A series of struggling young men, youth leaders, vicars and liberal journalists all attempt to do battle over her fearsome views on sexuality and the promotion of homosexuality with various degrees of success as this stoic figure in a twin set clutching a cake tin largely manages to bat them away - such was the entrenched nature of her views.
This isn’t to say there weren’t glimmers of regret and emotion though. Revelations about the death of her new born twins and the devastating impact the collapse of Gay News had on the AIDS crisis, both saw momentary flickers appear across Whitehouse’s face.
Cleverly lit thanks to Malcolm Rippeth’s brilliant design, the story culminates in Whitehouse looking much older and railing against the dying of the light – the choice of programme by the other residents - in the TV room of her care home.
It's a fascinating window into a bygone era which stays with you long after the stage goes dark and the highs and lows of Britain in 2025 slide back into view.
The Last Stand of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse plays at the Nottingham Playhouse from Friday 12 until Saturday 27 September 2025.
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