Brilliant David Harewood: Best of Enemies, Noel Coward Theatre, London
So glad to see this production in person after a COVID cancellation last year and catching it online instead. Even better I got bumped from a cheap seat to the next tier down — with an even better view. Plus it’s a James Graham play — so what’s not to like? Politics, social and cultural critique with creative staging and a great soundtrack.
It’s the 1960s. Politics and society is changing wildly and America has to choose which way it will go. The Kennedys, Nixon, Reagan, Civil Rights, Martin Luther King? America is embroiled in the Vietnam War and many of its youth are beginning to resent being sent to what is perceived by many as a pointless war, and in not having a proper voice in politics and society. At the same time television is changing the way people think (and what we see) — they are even designing their houses around it! ABC news channel in 1968 decides that what the people need in a presidential election year are more opinions, not facts — intellectual opinions though (and celebrities) Let’s bring on Gore Vidal — agent provocateur liberal writer and conservative William F Buckley, (though even conservatism has its limits when interviewing Enoch Powell). They’re going to discuss what it all means in a series of televised debates with a moderator — although this means less facts and more goading, jostling, talking over each other and eventually name calling — on air.
This is set against a background of Andy Warhol artistic parties, student political protests and media presentation, using a series of glassed in boxes to stream the speakers. In a shock move Vidal and Buckley are sent to speak at the Republic Party Convention in Chicago — where the Mayor basically orders the media teams to show what he wants them to, not what they see. The Convention ends up in journalists along with student protestors being attacked by the police and everyone suffering from the effects of tear gas. Buckley sees the police efforts as protective of wider law and order measures and everyone’s safety; Vidal is horrified as the liberal politics he represents appear to be losing.
It all goes horribly wrong when both men seek to cancel each other — Buckley is called a Nazi with a questionable war record, and Vidal is vilely shamed on air as a queer. Cleverly staged with a banging soundtrack and a bombard of adverts and media footage from the time, the play is interrupted by a future academic coming onto the stage to interpret the last televised debate after all the name calling. It’s a funny moment because all the actors act in character — confused and wondering what is going on?!
David Harewood and Zachary Quinto shine; Buckley as a man in love with his wife and his learning; Quinto as a struggle with who he is and in making Vidal a person behind all the mannerisms. But it is an ensemble piece. Unlike the first staging, the scenes seem to change more quickly, I think there’s less time spent on the collapse of the ABC studio and in Aretha Franklin singing the American National Anthem. Although the stairs are dramatically used still, the actors don’t seem to cross each other in such a confrontational and stark way as before. The stage is cleverly used — at several points, Team Buckley and Team Vidal are all in the same areas as they develop tactics and research notes about the weaknesses of their opponents, and yet act in isolation, not acknowledging or bumping into each other. It’s really cleverly done. The debates also become more personal as they share letters from the famous, heckle each other’s body language and personal lifestyle choices. And yet they are not so different nor really opposed to each other in hateful ways. They have more nuanced questions that they want to ask each other and even apologise. Their character and integrity still matters — although ABC appreciate that offense and screaming equals high ratings.
A play which makes you think how did we get here? It also makes us think about media presentation — that those who present well on television and in public can be liars, whilst those who are sincere may be ignored due to a weak performance. Performance becomes more and more of an issue as both sides examine their media performance, their words, body language and how to undermine their opponent. As well as dazzling with Aretha Franklin, James Baldwin and Andy Warhol all on the stage at once!
I found this link helpful for the wider political background — Richard Nixon: Campaigns and Elections | Miller Center
