Cheers to a jolly regional romance
Zack (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester)
Rating: 
Verdict: Zack's the business
You always know where you stand with a northerner — even if you sometimes wish you didn’t. But in the case of Harold Brighouse, author of Hobson’s Choice, it’s not a bad thing. It means you can count on characters, who slip down like a Lancastrian pint, complete with satisfyingly bitter aftertaste.
Brighouse’s 1916 comedy Zack is doing brisk business in his native county. But the genius of Greg Hersov’s new production is casting comedian Justin Moorhouse in the title role. Not only is he a local boy made good, he is also a genuinely cuddly presence at the heart of the play.
Jolly good fun: Justin Moorhouse, pictured, shines as Zack in this production
Barrel of laughs: Justin Moorhouse has a cuddly presence
The story itself is little more than a princess-and-frog type yarn in which Ginny, a comely lass from the city, convalesces with her skinflint country cousins.
Mother and eldest son seek to wheedle money out of her, but their plans go awry when she takes an unexpected shine to the idiot younger son, Zack. And despite his beaming indolence, it’s only a matter of time before this frog gets kissed.
With Zack being far too nice to get himself out of trouble engineered by others, Moorhouse languishes in his predicament as cheerfully as a pig in the proverbial. His acting can be a tad stiff when he’s not delivering dialogue, but he has the perfect timing of a seasoned comedian, and enough presence to carry off his romantic coup.
Happily, the cast around him are on the money, too, with Pearce Quigley making a Lancastrian grouch as Zack’s older brother. And as his mother, Polly Hemingway is no less vinegary.
And then James Quinn adds a touch of comic pugilism, trying to blackmail Zack into marrying his simpleton daughter, played devotedly by Samantha Power.
And finally there’s Kelly Price as Ginny, rising above their vulgarity with impeccable diction, posture and a golden heart.
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