Walkouts and rows in the stalls as politics enters Theatreland stage left – or maybe right

walkouts and rows in the stalls as politics enters theatreland stage left – or maybe right

Matt Smith in Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy Of The People’ at the Duke Of York’s theatre, London. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty Images

The scheduled arrival in a West End theatre this summer of Slave Play, a Broadway multiple award-winner, has already created a big fuss. But it’s not the uncompromising content of the production – “a story of race, identity and sexuality” on a Virginia plantation – that has prompted the flap that reached Downing Street. No, it was the bold idea of “Black Out” nights, when seats in the auditorium would be sold only to black or non-white ticket holders.

Even without the alarm sounded over this plan, playwright Jeremy O Harris’s strident work will fit right into a London Theatreland that is shifting somewhat in the direction of a radical agenda, if not actually taking up the cudgels with the establishment. A mention of Palestine during last week’s British premiere of the harshly satirical German play Nachtland wrung cries from members of the Young Vic audience. It was a glimmer of just the kind of “uncomfortable moment” aimed at by Patrick Marber, director of this new play by Marius von Mayenburg that tackles the scarcely buried legacy of antisemitic prejudice in Berlin.

In ‘A Mirror’, theatrical sleight of hand gives the audience a taste of how it might feel to lose some liberties under an oppressive regime

Only a few days earlier, Matt Smith attacked the famous campaigning role of Dr Stockmann in a modern-day version of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, a play whose plot is commonly assumed to be the basis of Peter Benchley’s Jaws and the inspiration for the film. In fact, so committed is Smith’s character to saving the community around him that he stops the whole performance midway through to address the audience about the excesses of the capitalist system. The lights go up for the sort of “heated debate” Mrs Merton used to relish. The actor says he has already seen arguments break out in the stalls, as well as the odd walkout. His show at London’s Duke of York’s theatre picks up on the immersive elements of an equally provocative production still playing across in Trafalgar Square. In A Mirror, starring Jonny Lee Miller, theatrical sleight of hand gives the audience a taste of how it might feel to lose some of their liberties under a totalitarian regime.

So what has promoted this West End lurch towards political engagement? It is a trend also marked by recent punchy revivals of Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, starring Lily Allen. It could be something to do with our divided age. Or perhaps it’s a symptom of 14 years of Conservative rule. A cynic might suggest instead that this spate of subversive shows is not exactly the blow to the body politic it might seem. Theatre, where a full-price seat can cost more than £100, is struggling to defend itself from its image as a middle-class indulgence. It is not, playwrights and directors dearly hope, just a place for celebrities to disport themselves nightly in front of those who admired them first on the telly.

And we do know that drama can change the world. Kitchen-sink plays spawned that eye-opening 1966 TV classic about homelessness, Cathy Come Home, and Mr Bates vs the Post Office has now pricked the conscience of a government. But the impact of a good play is not always quite so direct, and social change is not the only profound purpose of live theatre. After all, mere entertainment can be hard enough to achieve.

• Vanessa Thorpe is the Observer’s arts and media correspondent

News Related

OTHER NEWS

FA confident that Man Utd starlet will pick England over Ghana

Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ... Read more »

World Darts Championship draw throws up tricky tests for big names

Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ... Read more »

Pioneering flight to use repurposed cooking oil to cross Atlantic

For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ... Read more »

King meets world business and finance figures at Buckingham Palace

The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ... Read more »

What Lou Holtz thinks of Ohio State's loss to Michigan: 'They aren't real happy'

After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ... Read more »

Darius Slay wouldn't have minded being penalized on controversial no-call

Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ... Read more »

Mac Jones discusses Patriots future after latest benching

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ... Read more »
Top List in the World