Spanish Oranges – Playground Theatre

Former Bond girl, Maryam D’Abo is the star turn in Spanish Oranges, a new piece of writing by Alba Arikha, currently showing at the Playground Theatre in W10. The play forms part of Women’s Voices: A Celebration (WVAC) an arts festival which is inspired by International Women’s Day.

This world premiere is D’Abo’s first stage role in 26 years. Instead of seeking the bright lights and glitz of a West End venue, this theatre is a former bus depot that requires a rather lengthy schlep from Latimer Road tube station. D’Abo co-wrote the book Bond Girls Are Forever (2002) and in 2004 she co-produced the documentary film Bearing Witness, about five female war reporters. She had surgery for a brain haemorrhage in 2007 and after recovering, met up with other survivors and produced a 2009 documentary on the topic. One can’t help but applaud her range and dedication.

With taut direction by Myriam Cyr, Spanish Oranges is a contemporary nod to Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This work features sniping middle-class creatives in Camden, rather than warring academics in New England. Though not as long, nor as savage as the 1963 Tony Award winning classic by Albee, Spanish Oranges captures a marriage in breakdown, a family in crisis, and the swirling resentments prompted by creative and commercial success.

Maryam D’Abo plays Fiona, a moderately successful novelist who appears to be on the brink of bestseller status with her latest book Spanish Oranges. D’Abo is very convincing as the slightly brittle, careworn author who is ready to shine after decades of being a wife and mother. The fly in her ointment is Ivo (Jay Villiers), a husband whose acting career is skidding from respected household name to grim tabloid target. Villiers is horribly compelling as an egotistical, boozy luvvie who swings from emotionally demanding to explosively angry. The patient, but guarded Fiona manages his mood swings with the skill of a babysitter with a psychology degree. It transpires that Ivo has taken a knock to his career due to a disputed assault on a young actress and abusive behaviour towards Fiona, captured in a recording by a concerned neighbour.

It’s an intelligent and sharply honed script, peppered with pop culture and literary references, but felt genuinely authentic. Having spent a fair bit of time around whiny middle-class people who work in the arts, the dialogue chimed with my memories of dinner parties in Crouch End and gallery openings in Mayfair. There’s a fair bit of explosive swearing, which was hugely enjoyable. There’s a clever twist in the first half, which was executed deftly and genuinely surprising to behold. Arianna Branca plays Lydia, the couple’s daughter, who rocks up in the middle of her parent’s meltdown, on a break from Newcastle University. Her youthful perspective is a refreshing comic turn. Branca embodies the Gen Z frustration at the indulgent narcissism of her elders, while also a tad blind to being the beneficiary of a highly privileged existence.

While the thin façade and existential angst of middle-class existence is a familiar territory for both stage and screen, it’s consistently appealing, if delivered with panache. I’m always happy to see yummy mummies and feckless dads in designer rugby shirts take gory chunks out of each other while squirming in a cesspit of their own making. Spanish Oranges delivers the goods in a 90-minute snapshot that is very entertaining, skilfully performed and surprisingly engaging. It deserves a transfer to swankier environs, but the entire team and Playground Theatre deserve credit for getting this on stage and pulling it off.

Spanish Oranges is at Playground Theatre until 7th March 2026,The Playground Theatre | West London

Reviewer: Stewart Who?

Reviewed: 18th February 2026
North West End UK Rating: 4