Ming's Kingdom

When actor Rick Neilsen secretly names his future mother-in-law ""Ming,"" after Flash Gordon's nemesis, he gets off one of his wittiest jokes and, unfortunately, exhausts first-time author (and celebrated British actor) Williamson's powers of characterization in this yobbish marital farce. Neilsen believes he has a show-tune perfect romance with aspiring young actress Adrienne, but there are bad omens even aside from her ghastly mum. For one, Adrienne refuses to reveal their marriage (even after the fact) and insists on staying apart while Nielsen goes to London, New York or Los Angeles in search of work. Worse, she spends weeks away with her girlfriends. This show-biz version of Kingsley Amis's Stanley and the Women quickly divides along gender lines--buddies and business associates arrayed against mothers, sisters and girlfriends. The denouement comes in an excruciating family Christmas party of mind games and emotional manipulation that Williamson might have carried off if he had created for himself any characters worth the effort. (June)