Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Theatre Royal Haymarket - West End
(Review Complete)
SYNOPSIS
Fraudster and actor “The Maniac” is brought into Police Headquarters and “helps” the police to prepare for a judicial review of the cold case of an anarchist who died in police custody.
REVIEW
I spent a wonderful evening in the Theatre Royal Haymarket this week watching the fantastic production that is Accidental Death of an Anarchist! This is Tom Basden’s brilliant updating of Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s 1970 play about police brutality and death in custody.
It is very funny and an absolute master class in how to get pace into a farce! Daniel Rigby plays The Maniac brilliantly at breakneck speed. He swaps seamlessly between characters and his physicality is breathtaking! His dive off a chair into a forward roll is spectacular! The other cast members, particularly Tony Gardner as the Superintendant and Tom Andrews as Detective Daisy,
perfectly match the pace and the entire evening is fast and furious.
This is a very funny play that deserves a 5 star status, but be sure that there is a serious side underlying the evening. According to programme notes, since 1990 there have been 1891 deaths in police custody or following contact with the police in England and Wales (already 11 more than when the play originally opened in September 2022) which makes this excellent production all the more relevant!
5 stars out of 5
Reveiwer: Julia Rufey