Satirical genius combined with exhilarating absurdity that shines a light on ongoing corruption and injustice.
The new production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Lyric Hammersmith is a masterclass in using the highs to expose the lows. Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s play of 50 years ago has been expertly adapted by Tom Basden. It is a triumph of comedy to shed light upon corruption in, specifically, the police force but also the western world and its governing bodies. It is full to the brim with recent cultural references and the full gamut of jokes that make the microphone-drop levels of statistics even more hard hitting. We are so consumed by the joy and laughter that the play brings in all its ridiculousness, that the occasional reminders of why these characters are here at all can knock the breath out of you.
The Maniac, a self-proclaimed histrionomaniac (one obsessed with acting), uses his skills to play several key individuals in the newly reopened case of an anarchist whose death by falling from a window had been ruled as accidental. In doing so, and in the exact office from which the anarchist allegedly jumped, The Maniac exposes the team’s falsifications in ways that are wholly absurd and yet match the absurdity of their reports entirely.
The office space, sat in its jaunty squareness within darkness of the rest of the stage, feels both utterly separate from the world and like it is focal point of it. Despite its banality, it is made use of perfectly; particularly when using the blind to draw us up to the fourth floor, its plain walls used as a whiteboard when The Maniac runs out of room to outline his working and when used as a means to prove the play’s theatricality towards the very end.
Daniel Rigby is simply outstanding as The Maniac. A total force to be reckoned with, with his speedy delivery, undying energy and ebullient breaking of the fourth wall. He expertly jumps between characters and seamlessly delivers lines to both us and the rest of the characters on stage without them catching onto what he’s doing. There is true understanding of when to milk a joke and when to leave it entirely alone; when to spend a good few minutes getting down off a table as an elderly man and when to leave an acrobatic forward roll from the same gentleman without comment. Absolute comic genius.
The rest of the company aid Rigby and the story with aplomb; joining Rigby for a Queen-inspired rendition of ‘Bella Ciao’, investing in re-enactments of the night in question and expertly taking a glass of water to the face. The use of manipulated and falsified memory to warp the Superintendent and Detective’s tale of events, not unlike the way they “interrogated” the anarchist, was particularly clever.
Beyond all the hilarity and satirical joy of the company’s performance is a story that is depressingly familiar. Remarked upon within the play itself is that the fifty-year-old story remains relevant; that coverups and corruption are rife, that the same people are still targeted and that behaviours from bad apples may in fact be evidence of a bad tree. Perhaps this play would just be a fun night out were the stories it represents no longer happening, alas; we have not learned our lesson. Plays like Accidental Death of an Anarchist will, and do, bear repeating because we do not change, we do not listen and we do not hold those responsible accountable. We will continue to see plays, television shows, films and books like it because, as The Maniac says, “it keeps bloody happening”. What are we prepared to give up to change that?
Guest Reviewer: JP Black