MAGNIFICENT MR. BOOTH, THE

by Dinner, William

Switching between the 1950s and the present day, this play re-enacts the romantic adventures of a Tory MP, Gerald Gray, with a fatal weakness for the ‘fairer’ sex. While the house in which these adventures took place is being demolished, Gerald’s son Michael relates his father’s antics to the audience along with those of his mother, whose life as a writer and long-suffering wife is only bearable when mixed with a double measure of gin. She innocently refers to her daily tipple as ‘Mr Booth’, a liquid companion, but later becomes convinced that he really does exist as a source of inspiration to her. Gerald’s unfaithfulness, and her drinking problem build to an unavoidable confrontation which ultimately leads them both to realise that all they ever really needed was each other. Together they encourage each other to disregard their vices and start their lives anew.