The Whip Hand

To have the whip hand is to have power or control over someone. In Douglas Maxwell's new play The Whip Hand, the balance of power shifts from character to character, as he explores family tensions and history, class and inequality.

Dougie is at his ex-wife's house, celebrating his birthday, and he has an announcement to make. He's a sheltered guy who doesn't own a computer, lives in his mum's box room and works a dead-end job, and he's got a new scheme, one which will put right the misdeeds of his ancestors. Yet he's been scammed before, and his family are wary. 

He's willing to jeapordise his daughter's future for his new cause, and the arguments become more personal as the play unfurls. As the source of Dougie's plans emerges, the pressure builds to a head in a gripping final scene.

As ex-wife Arlene, Louise Ludgate is acerbic and biting, raising laughs with her putdowns. Jonathan Watson is excellent as Dougie, clinging to his idea long after it should be dismissed, and there's good support from the rest of the cast.

It's a domestic drama, though the questions that come from it are more than just familial: are we responsible for what came before us? Can we make reparation for it? However, for all of its interesting themes, the action drags in places and the whole situation feels a little contrived.