Feeble, sophomoric and paper-thin: Matt Smith is nothing if not exciting, but he's wasted on this one-À±¡¿¼çÌò¤Ë¤¹¤ë adaptation of An Enemy Of The People, Îá¾õs PATRICK MARMION

An Enemy Of The People (Duke of York¡Çs Theatre, London)

Ƚ·è: More likely to make us ¼ûÍס¦Í׵᤹¤ë our money »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë than it is to send us µÞ¤°ing to the ¥Ð¥ê¥±¡¼¥És.

Ψing:

The last time I saw?Matt Smith live on ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬, he chased É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë a ºÇ¹â¤Î-sized moth that had dared to ¿¯Î¬¤¹¤ë his space Ãæ±û¤Î ¶ÈÀÓ¡¿À®²Ì at the ²¦¼¼¤Î Ë¡ÄºÛȽ½ê Theatre in Chelsea.

The former Doctor Who, who also played Prince Philip in the ±É´§¤òÍ¿¤¨¤ë, is therefore nothing if not an exciting and ͽ¬¤Ç¤­¤Ê¤¤ showman.

I¡Çm sorry to Êó¹ð¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿²±Â¬, however, that this does not so much ŬÍѤ¹¤ë to his Ǯ˾¤·¤Æ ¿´ÇÛ¤¹¤ëd return to live theatre. He is wasted on a piece of sophomoric, paper-thin agit-»Ù¤¨¡Ê¤ë¡Ë that¡Çs more likely to make us ¼ûÍס¦Í׵᤹¤ë our money »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë than it is to send us µÞ¤°ing to the ¥Ð¥ê¥±¡¼¥És.

The actor with the famously vulpine features is taking the lead Ìò³ä of Doctor Stockmann in a feeble modern day updating of Henrik Ibsen¡Çs ¹­Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê 19th-century µ¯ÁÊ¡¤¹ðȯ of institutional ±ø¿¦ in a Norwegian spa town where the water has been ±øÀ÷¤¹¤ëd.

Matt Smith is wasted on a piece of sophomoric, paper-thin agit-prop that¡Çs more likely to make us demand our money back than it is to send us rushing to the barricades.

Matt Smith is wasted on a piece of sophomoric, paper-thin agit-»Ù¤¨¡Ê¤ë¡Ë that¡Çs more likely to make us ¼ûÍס¦Í׵᤹¤ë our money »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë than it is to send us µÞ¤°ing to the ¥Ð¥ê¥±¡¼¥És.

The actor is taking the lead role of Doctor Stockmann in a feeble modern day updating of Henrik Ibsen¡Çs great 19th-century indictment of institutional corruption

The actor is taking the lead Ìò³ä of Doctor Stockmann in a feeble modern day updating of Henrik Ibsen¡Çs ¹­Âç¤Ê¡¿Â¿¿ô¤Î¡¿½ÅÍ×¤Ê 19th-century µ¯ÁÊ¡¤¹ðȯ of institutional ±ø¿¦

Directed by German avant-gardist Thomas Ostermeier, it is »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç a group of the town¡Çs middle class, ¡Æwokey cokey ¼«Í³¼çµÁ¤Îs¡Ç who have identified civilisation as ¡Æclinically dead¡Ç.

Such snarling ÀëÅÁ is better ¤Õ¤µ¤ï¤·¤¤ to a student union than the West End, and with most remaining tickets Äê²Á¤Ä¤­¤Î at ¡ò100-¡ò200, the real ºñ¼è¤¹¤ë is on Smith¡Çs legions of faithful young fans.

The first thing that ·Þ¤¨¤ë¡¿´¿·Þ¤¹¤ës them in the theatre is a ˸¤²¤ë¡¿Ë¡ÄÊÛ¸î»Î¶È selling Veuve Clicquot ¥·¥ã¥ó¥Ú¥ó¼ò. Yet that hasn¡Çt stopped the ²õ¤ì¤ä¤¹¤¤ pretence that the show is a °®¤ê¤³¤Ö¤· shaken at fat cats and vested Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£s.

After the interval - when the blackboard »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë, painted with É÷»ÉÌ¡²è hieroglyphics, has been spattered in white paint during an ersatz ÄÄÎ󤹤롤ȯ´ø¤¹¤ë of È¿¹³ - the À¸»º¡¿»ºÊª turns into a political ¹³µÄ¤¹¤ë ²ñ¹ç. Smith steps up with a class-war diatribe, in which he É۹𤹤ës ¡Æsociety deserves its ÀäÌÇ¡Ç.

As becomes ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ê from the Question Time style ´ØÍ¿ of the audience (yes, there is voluntary audience »²²Ã), feelings of powerlessness and despair at the ̤Íè are real ´Ø¿´s for many young people.

But all they get here is flimsy moral µçÃÏs, as Smith¡Çs doctor comes into ¾×ÆÍ with his brother the »ÔĹ (Paul Hilton), defender of the fictional town¡Çs ·ÐºÑŪ¤Ê Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£s.

Said town is, moreover, in the »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ë of a serious ±ÖÉ¡¿Î®¹ÔÀ­¤Î of nepotism. Not only has the brother °ÂÁ´¤Ê¡¦Êݾڤ¹¤ëd Doctor Stockmann¡Çs ¿¦¶È, Smith¡Çs wife (Jessica Brown Findlay) is the daughter of a gruff Yorkshire industrialist (Nigel Lindsay) who makes a handful of ³°¸«s with an inexplicable Alsatian dog.

And no ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ cliquishly, Smith and his Mrs are part of a David Bowie and Oasis cover-¶Ø»ß¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd who rehearse in his home with the editor and ¼çÍ×¤Ê writer of the Ãϸµ¤Î paper.

He is wasted on a piece of sophomoric, paper-thin agit-prop that¡Çs more likely to make us demand our money back than it is to send us rushing to the barricades

He is wasted on a piece of sophomoric, paper-thin agit-»Ù¤¨¡Ê¤ë¡Ë that¡Çs more likely to make us ¼ûÍס¦Í׵᤹¤ë our money »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë than it is to send us µÞ¤°ing to the ¥Ð¥ê¥±¡¼¥És

(L to R) cast members Zachary Hart, Paul Hilton, Matt Smith, Jessica Brown Findlay, Nigel Lindsay, Priyanga Burford and Shubham Saraf

(L to R) cast members Zachary Hart, Paul Hilton, Matt Smith, Jessica Brown Findlay, Nigel Lindsay, Priyanga Burford and Shubham Saraf

Directed by German avant-gardist Thomas Ostermeier, it is set among a group of the town¡Çs middle class, ¡Æwokey cokey liberals¡Ç who have identified civilisation as ¡Æclinically dead¡Ç

Directed by German avant-gardist Thomas Ostermeier, it is »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç a group of the town¡Çs middle class, ¡Æwokey cokey ¼«Í³¼çµÁ¤Îs¡Ç who have identified civilisation as ¡Æclinically dead¡Ç

Nor is there any ¼Â¸³¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë of Smith¡Çs »ö¼Â¾å¤Î¡¿ÂåÍý. Placidly sitting through a public character °Å»¦ by his brother when things go bad, he loafs about the ¹Ô¤¦¡¿³«ºÅ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ãʳ¬ in designer ¥¸¡¼¥ó¥ºs and sweat shirt, muttering about his unimpeachable ÀµÄ¾¤µ and getting spattered with paint balls when the town turns against him.

Ëܿͼ«¿È¤Ç, I didn¡Çt turn against him, because I couldn¡Çt get behind him in the first place.

There are audible sniggers from Whovians when one character tells him he¡Çs a brilliant doctor, and although that may have been true when he was up against the Daleks, here he¡Çs just roadkill for the play¡Çs evil »ñËܼçµÁ¼Ô cronies.

Smith¡Çs Doctor Thomas Stockmann comes into conflict with his brother the Mayor (Paul Hilton), defender of the fictional town¡Çs economic interests

Smith¡Çs Doctor Thomas Stockmann comes into ¾×ÆÍ with his brother the »ÔĹ (Paul Hilton), defender of the fictional town¡Çs ·ÐºÑŪ¤Ê Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£s