Steve Thompson's political comedy transfers to the gilded intimacies of the New Ambassadors theatre, which suit it rather well. Whipping It Up comes on like a farce but its real intention is to shock us by revealing the full horror of macho politics. It shows us the inside of one of the most exclusive boys' clubs in existence — the Tory Whip's Office in Westminster. Despite its air of charm and tradition this place is a shark pool looking like a prayer meeting, as the set (by Tim Shorthall) lovingly conveys.

But unless the visitor has a more than nodding acquaintance with the British parliamentary system, the main reasons for seeing this play are the performances of its stars, Richard Wilson and Robert Bathurst. Wilson is a performer of legendary stature. Though readily pigeon-holed as a master of comedy, his talents are far richer. The man can put more dramatic weight into a turn of the head than you might see in an entire performance of Hamlet. He lends dignity, style and caustic wit to the proceedings as the old school, Tory switchblade hoodlum, deftly avoiding the long shadow cast by the late Ian Richardson's iconic portrait of an earlier Tory Whip, the ineffable Francis Urqhart of BBC TV's House of Cards.

Robert Bathurst as his number two, Alastair, has patented his own superior brand of suave ruthlessness, although his better scenes are with one of the token women allowed into this strange world. His exchanges with his Labour opposite number (Helen Schlesinger) are rich with suppressed eroticism as well as point scoring of a more constitutional kind.

The audience loved the gags, but some of the tension of the piece does falter in the second act. An American viewer might find the machinations of these people disarmingly innocent and amateurish. Indeed, Thompson himself seems to feel some admiration for his creations. What is the only principle every politician believes in? he asks. And the answer is: "Winning!" These monsters may be breaking every rule in the book, but at least they're playing the game.

CURRENT PRODUCTION NOTES Whipping It Up
Written by Steve Thompson
Directed by Tamara Harvey
Original production directed by Terry Johnson
Starring: Richard Wilson, Robert Bathhurst, Helen Schlesinger
With: Nicholas Rowe, Lee Ross, Kellie Bright
Design: Tim Shortall
Lighting: Simon Corder
Sound: Fergus O'Hare
Running time: Two hours with one interval
Box Office: 0870 060 6627
Booking to 28th April 2007
Reviewed by Brian Clover based on 5th March 2007 performance at the New Ambassadors, West Street, London WC2 (Tube: Leicester Square)