The Beast's Pen

John Van Druten’s play, here given a splendid revival, looks at a group of women working in the London offices of a law firm in the early 1930s. They are paid a pittance, have zero prospects for advancement and are viewed as ready prey for lecherous bosses. Inevitably the production invites us to consider how things have changed and what, if any, fragments of these attitudes and practices continue today. However, it is not an overtly political or campaigning play, it is simply showing us how it was in the era when it was written and entertaining us at the same time. A strong ensemble cast and smart staging deliver an absorbing  drama, laced with bright comedy and touching romance. The audience, at least half of them women, were thoroughly entertained and left with smiles on their faces.