Accidental Death of An Anarchist, Theatre Royal Haymarket

Warning — this play could make you lose your head or develop cringe — at least if you’re in the first three rows at the front….Exceptional translation and cultural readjustment of Dario Fo’s classic about police injustice, the uses of legal power and media representation.

Set in modern times UK, a police force prepare for a second inquiry into the accidental death of an anarchist, who apparently fell to his death whilst in police custody. Meanwhile, an actor and trickster known only as The Maniac is being interviewed by a policeman who finds him and his offers of therapy irritating. The phone rings, in the policeman’s absence ‘The Maniac’ answers and proceeds to impersonate a Judge (with props drawn from his Liberty bag!)

The police are tense as The Judge enters and proceeds to pep talk them into what to say to the media by interrogating them about what has and hasn’t happened. Reducing their defensiveness, it seems that they’ve been writing and rewriting their official statements on what happened in a creative manner. Intriguingly the play doesn’t monster-ise the policemen — it makes them human and yet exposes their corruption and responsibility, personally and institutionally. Very soon, the Maniac has the cast singing like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody (with torches) and hugging like ‘men’ as they draft what perhaps should have happened, turning lies into truth. The silence and presence of a policeman of colour throughout is telling, as he is the youngest and most junior and eager to please - often telling the truth by accident. As an audience participant you might wonder at points whether to laugh or not, and that’s a good thing — it makes you think…Plus who is ‘mad’ and who is speaking truth here?

A female journalist turns up in the Second Act bringing more culture conflict into play. It goes quite Bottom or Young Ones here as various people are punched, kicked etc., (but they’ve almost been coerced into committing suicide out of the same window the anarchist fell from in the First Act). The anarchist has stopped playing the dandruffy Judge and impersonates a policeman Poppins in a ridiculous wig, an eye patch and various false limbs. The journalist reveals him as an undercover Bishop in disguise (a take on no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition); whilst the original interviewing policeman Burton tries desperately to expose Poppins as a fake and keeps being silenced. It’s only when the Maniac is behind the barrel of a gun with a bomb in hand that he reveals himself — and the ending is a tour de force.

The jokes are situational, topical and slap stick, but some make you gasp and wonder about what’s funny and what isn’t? The searing anger and desire for justice throughout drives this play as much as Daniel Rigby as the Maniac’s energy — not so much defund the police as a cry for reform, truth and a better police force which serves and represents those it claims to protect fully. In it’s knockabout way, it also makes you think long and hard about mental health and the Law, as the Maniac is often brutalised by the police and quotes the law code back at them verbatim to protect himself. What about those who can’t do that? At the same time it presents the police in a nuanced way — none of them are thoroughly bad or stereotypes. But you can see how power (particularly the power of performance in interview situations), judgements and choices which lead to labelling and stereotypes, the desire to convict about exposing the truth and their own battles when trying to apply new thinking and ideas when they don’t really understand or believe it. At points, in their own way, they are trying to do thr right thing, as well as saving their hides despite the truth at other points. Who watches the watchers? (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes)…

The play also challenges us about how to live right — that it isn’t enough to tweet and complain — where’s our action? What is truth ultimately? and whose law for whom? Who are the lawmakers and enforcers serving ultimately and whom are they protecting (or what?) We are also directly challenged by the Maniac about our right to freedom and free speech as we live in a fairly easy society and culture — what are we going to do to make a difference? Having explored the case of the anarchist we see that although no-one was apparently there, there are a lot of hints of things which could have been done differently in terms of policies and procedures.

Sounds grim? Not at all, although we are left with sad statistics at the end of how many people have died in police custody in the UK. Bizarrely the clever heart and scorching jokes and comments are delivered in such a pacey, high energy, extremely funny way that has your sides splitting as much as your heart as you think about the truth of the very topical and pertinent jokes rattled off. Although Daniel Rigby gets the glory, it is an ensemble tour de force and the whole cast deserve to be celebrated for the excellence they’re delivering on stage and how they use all the space.

Daniel Rigby as the Maniac does some nice asides and call and response to the audience, and in the moment almost took my head off with a packet of sweets which were lobbed into the front rows pantomime style! But still here and someone in front of me has gone home with a chocolate stash. Additionally, you could end up answering a question, shouting out ‘NO’ when asked if there are any undercover cops in the audience or holding the Maniac’s jacket as he changes from psychotherapist to Judge if you think about breaking the fourth wall for too long. Moreover, mirth is had when the Maniac moves floors by changing the number on the wall and winds the scenery in the window to show we’ve changed location. Furthermore, the Maniac does a fantastic job of drawing on the walls, extending the white board including the Raptor Raptus and the anarchist’s shoe inside a shoe. Besides all these, he does literally break the fourth wall at one point — head butting a board on a wall! Besides all this, watch alone for the Judge trying to get down from a table and refusing offers of help! Genius!

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