Guest post by Simon Darnley
Satirical comical tragedy at its best. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set in the Prime minister’s office, complete with Union Jacks and with a portrait of Margaret Thatcher picture looming over this single hander follows Liz Truss just before leaving Downing Street reflecting on her life where she ended up being beaten by a lettuce as the shortest serving prime minister in our history.
Emma Wilkinson Wright has a storming presence and inhibition of Liz Truss with her oddly unique and recognisable movements and vocalisations. If anything, she smooths off the edges of these oddities making her more listenable and likable.
We learn much about the drive of Truss from an early age and how she crafted and twisted her image as a “new Thatcher” while gradually drifting further and further to the right. We learn about her early school, where on the first day of school she asked for her original first name Mary to be changed to Liz through university and early membership of the liberal party before resigning and becoming a Tory.
Throughout the play she brandishes the book “Britannia Unchained” which she co-authored with Priti Patel, Kwasi Kwarteng, Dominic Raab and Chris Skidmore, this allows us a glimpse into her belief system, for example she quotes from the book, “The British are among the worst idlers in the world. We work among the lowest hours; we retire early, and our productivity is poor”.
Through flashbacks, recounting, and the occasional karaoke song, we are taken deftly through the bizarre turn of events and machinations that lead a rabid elderly conservative party membership into voting a clearly inadequate Truss into the most important position in the United Kingdom. Once PM it's easy to forget how much happened in the short 7 weeks of her premiership, including the energy bill crisis and death of the Queen.
The second half of the satire really starts to ramp up Liz Truss unravelling with more and more bizarre extreme right-wing beliefs and conspiracy theories that play into her lack of any insight or apology or compassion for the ruinous effect she had on the people of the country she was meant to oversee. As she explains all the external reasons for her downfall with passion and a level of self-belief that never once falters.
The only other voices we hear are provided off stage by Steve Nallon of Spitting Image fame providing a chilling Thatcher alongside a very funny Kweisi Kwarteng and an instantly recognisable one word Rwanda preaching Suella Braverman.
The excellent satirical writing by Greg Wilkinson and smart direction by Anthony Shubshall asks the audience to understand and even feel empathy for her increasingly isolated positions and beliefs. From my woke Guardian reading, red flag flying, avocado and pumpkin spice latte position this made me feel appropriately uncomfortable through the laughs.
By Greg Wilkinson
An Oxia Theatre production
Tuesday 3rd - Saturday 14th December 7:30
3:00pm matinee on Saturday 14th
The White Bear Theatre
138 Kennington Park Road
London SE11 4DJ
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