The Peaceful Hour 2 at the Royal Court
Review by Chris Birchall
When Gerry Linford’s The Peaceful Hour first landed on the Royal Court stage last year, it was a roaring success – so much so that the sequel was commissioned before the original run had even ended.
The bar was set sky-high… so could The Peaceful Hour 2 live up to expectations?
It could – and it does…
Although The Peaceful Hour 2 stands firmly on its own two feet, returning to the same characters (played, with one exception, by the original cast) makes it feel instantly familiar. Regular Royal Court-goers will be right at home from the moment the curtain rises on this dysfunctional, loveable Scouse family in Kirkby.
And the show wastes no time setting the tone. We’re straight into the ’80s soundtrack, with Radio City blasting out Pete Price’s Peaceful Hour on the eve of Ange and Carl’s wedding. Bride-to-be Ange, her sister Julie and their mum Edna are attempting to soothe the nerves with a bit of musical comfort – and, in a rare ceasefire in their sisterly rivalry, Ange and Julie spontaneously duet along to Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are, Angela Simms and Ellie Clayton harmonising beautifully
But don’t be fooled by the title – the next couple of hours are about to become anything but peaceful.
Chaos arrives thick and fast. The groom tempts fate by turning up while Ange is trying on her wedding dress, and Julie’s posh fella Tim (played this time by George Turner) breezes in only to discover he’s grabbed the wrong bag. Instead of camera equipment, it contains a kilo of heroin and a small fortune in cash.
Enter Frankie – drug dealer and small-time gangster – played with delicious menace by Nathan McMullen. He tracks down the address from the camera bag and turns up to reclaim what’s his, threatening to detonate the whole household in the process. From there, it’s comedic drama at full tilt, with matriarch Edna (Julie Glover) doing her best to keep the lid on things… and every time it looks like the situation might explode, someone declares: “Put the feckin’ Peaceful Hour on!”
One standout moment comes courtesy of the hapless Carl, who delivers a bizarrely random – and utterly hilarious – monologue about the life of a goldfish. It’s the kind of glorious, slow-burn madness that only a seasoned performer like Lenny Wood can pull off, capped by Carl’s lingering, baffled expression as he concludes that a fish “drinks its own house”.
…Pure Comedy gold.
Under Emma Bird’s expert direction, the cast brings Linford’s script to life with razor-sharp timing and terrific energy. Every character feels authentic, relatable, and riotously funny – exactly the kind of homegrown comedy the Royal Court does better than anyone.
Final verdict
From side-splitting one-liners to perfectly judged physical comedy, The Peaceful Hour 2 is a triumph of Scouse theatre.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ FIVE STARS!
Playing until 7 March, it’s an unmissable night of laughter – so grab your tickets from the Box Office while you can, and brace yourself for comedy, chaos, and Scouse wit at its finest.
