Political shenanigans.(Embedded at the Riverside)(Dumb Show at the Royal Court)(Stuff Happens at the Olivier)(Theater Review)

Publication: Spectator

Publication Date: 18-SEP-04

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COPYRIGHT 2004 The Spectator Ltd. (UK)

Embedded Riverside

Dumb Show Royal Court

Stuff Happens Olivier

I was planning to devote this column to a denunciation of political theatre. When a new play is hailed as a brilliant piece of political writing that usually means it just echoes the prejudices of its metropolitan audience. When the same play is acclaimed as 'challenging' and 'uncompromising', you can almost guarantee it's an attack on something that no one in the playwright's peer group--or any of the national critics--would dream of defending, such as the upper classes or the Conservative party. When it comes to political theatre, you can enjoy a reputation for being 'courageous' without ever taking a stand that might jeopardise your status as a fashionable playwright.

As...

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