User Reviews

This sequel to STAND UP, NIGEL BARTON (which aired just a week after Potter had introduced us to his angry young man) is set several years later. Nigel is married and running for parliament as a Labour candidate in a by-election, spurred on by his unscrupulous, cynical agent. As he takes to the electoral circuit, he begins to weary of the lies he must spout and the fake smile he must always wear. He wants to speak from the heart and make a difference, but that seems an impossibility. And when he does finally find the strength to express himself frankly and truthfully, it doesn't have quite the impact that it might have had in a Frank Capra flick!!! This angry political shot isn't as structurally intriguing as its predecessor, but for what it sets out to achieve, it's the stronger of the two. It's dated, yes, but its central messages ring true even forty years later, and you find yourself rooting for Nigel, feeling his sense of frustration, wishing he could change the world, but knowing he (like the rest of us) probably won't. It's excellently acted, exceedingly bitter, very funny in places -- and surprisingly moving in others. This makes a splendid double feature when seen with the first play. Potter fans should snap it up immediately, and others should give it a chance too -- while it's nowhere near as revolutionary as his greatest TV work, it's more immediately accessible than much of it.