Whipping It Up
Lashing Out
by Steve Thompson
Putney Theatre Company at the Putney Arts Theatre until 22nd August
Review by Polly Davies
One of the most obscure parts of the Westminster system that dominates politics in the UK must be the Whips Office. Vague stories of Gavin Williamson’s tarantula and Boris Johnson’s use of the whips to throw colleagues out of the Tory party make it to the front pages, but it is still largely a closed book. So, it was with a sense of trepidation that I took my seat for a matinée performance of Steve Thompson’s Whipping It Up. It was reassuring to find the small studio audience space filled up quickly.
The intimate space of the studio is the perfect setting for the play. Walking through the office to reach my seat meant I already felt I was in that office; the desks, phones, decorated Christmas tree and scattered drinks and nibbles set the scene perfectly. Within five minutes I was hooked.
Robyn Doyle and Perry Kitchen’s set was convincingly accurate, but what held my attention was that from the get-go all the characters were so relatable. Jim Dixon’s Alistair, with his Burnham glasses, was every inch the old school Tory, suave, confident, in control. What a contrast to his assistant Tim. Will Hunter showed the complexity of the young junior whip; a bit of a chancer, brash and loud, he was only too aware he had the job through his father’s patronage and was eager to impress even if it meant taking a few short cuts. And Perry Kitchen as the patrician Chief Whip, loyal to the party, come what may. Graham White’s sympathetic Guy was the proud but closeted gay MP, happy to change sides if the reward was sufficient.
There were enough gently misogynistic references in the script to support the promise of a boy’s club in the wholly male Whips’ Office, but the female characters were equally strong. Saffron Miller’s stroppy opposition whip Delia and Charlotte McCormack’s devious reporter, the aptly named Maggie, were a nice counterpart to all the alpha males running the office.
The plot was essential simple. It is 2006. The government hasa tiny majority, so loyalty is essential to get any legislation passed. There is a strong hint that the current PM is not well regarded by his colleagues and a rebellion is suspected. A supposedly unimportant bill is being debated in the House of Commons and the whips suspect a plot. Each of the officials, Alistair, Tim and the Chief Whip have their own ideas about how best to thwart it. Delia meanwhile has a different plan, and Maggie is eager to find out the secrets of the Whips Office.
During the performance I followed each twist and turn, as the Whips’ plots within plots were laid before us. I wanted each plot to succeed, sharing Tim’s excitement and disappointment as the debate waxed and waned. My only regret was that the result of the debate seemed to be underplayed. The tension had been real, the plots increasingly desperate, but the denouement seemed to lack the energy that had been present from the beginning. But maybe I was enjoying the plotting a bit too much.
Overall, a thoroughly excellent production of an intelligent and riveting play.
Polly Davies, August 2026
Photography by Colin Rogal
Mark Aspen 