The new James Bond is grappled over with much hilarity during Marylebone Theatre’s short run of A Role To Die For
Arriving at the glitzy press night for Marylebone Theatre’s run of A Role To Die For, the audience is immediately launched into the quintessential energy of the James Bond Universe. There is a lot of booze and evening dresses – an apt entrance for a fast-paced production based on the casting of the next James Bond.
Written five years ago by playwright Jordan Waller, it is extra fun to watch this speculative piece that ponders an outcome that we at present day (sort of) know the answer to. While we don’t yet know who the next James Bond is, we’ve witnessed Amazon MGM studios sneakily swallow up the franchise, launching the IP somewhat into the modern day. The unnamed streaming giant in the production is pushing the franchise into the new era of entertainment, while the casting of James Bond seems to be remaining in the traditional past. A man. A white man. A white straight man. In this fictional world of behind-the-scenes Bond, the plot revolves around casting Daniel Craig’s successor. The streaming giant looms over the two primary long-time producers of the franchise, Deborah (Tanya Franks) and her cousin Malcolm (Philip Bretherton) who inherited the franchise from Deborah’s dad. Continuing the apparent nepo-baby tradition in the family, Deborah’s son Quinn (Harry Goodson-Bevan) seems to be in line as the next Bond legacy producer.
When Deborah’s initial choice for the next James Bond is exposed as a sexual predator just before they are set to announce him as Bond, the trio have twenty two hours to find a replacement. As the role is tainted by scandal, the three are forced to look exclusively to unknowns to find their man. They face a choice to continue with the typical white straight male Bond, an idea championed by Malcolm, or a new, untraditional (i.e. not white) Bond by the name of Theo (Obioma Ugoala). What follows is the familiar battle between the push for progression and the pressure to appease the masses. Who are the masses, however, and what do they really want? The question of why we must pander to those who have historically held power is brought into question, as well as concerns over the true interests of the global wealthy elite, such as the man-who-must-not-be-named at the helm of Amazon.
A Role To Die for is an enjoyable laugh of a night out. The piece is not going to change your life, nor is it trying to. It doesn’t take itself seriously and in this sense it pokes fun at the seriousness revolving around the Bond franchise itself. The creators of this show seemed to have asked themselves “what will people enjoy watching” and have given us just that.