Alligators, theatre review: Tale of reputations at risk is hard to get excited about

It’s not been a good week for Hampstead, with Tuesday’s news of a hefty 14% cut in its Arts Council grant. This piece neatly symbolises too much of the venue’s recent fare: it’s male-dominated and decent enough, but nothing to get really excited about. Where it should be precision sharp, it’s slightly underwhelming.

Whatever the flaws of Alligators, writer Andrew Keatley reminds us of a crucial fact none of us should ever forget: our good name and standing in the world perpetually hangs by one very fine thread.

One allegation of wrongdoing, even if unsubstantiated, will lead to our unravelling, as teacher Daniel (Alec Newman) learns when accused of sexual misconduct by a former pupil. Allegations start to fly and suddenly the most innocuous words and actions are viewed retrospectively in a very different light.

The piece should take its momentum from a sense of escalating crisis, but it too often gets bogged down in its own verbosity and I found my attention wandering at crucial moments.

Some glaring inconsistencies in Simon Evans’s production – how would a closely supervised seven-year-old manage to sneak a wooden stick taller than herself into a city flat? – don’t help.

Nonetheless, there’s strong work from Susan Stanley as a supportive wife whose sympathy and comprehension begin to fray and Leah Whitaker as a lawyer whose demeanour of professional detachment occasionally slips to revealing effect.

Until July 22, Hampstead Theatre; hampsteadtheatre.com