The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher review – Hilary Mantel’s story is compelling, powerful drama | Theater

MeIf you want someone to thank for the big laughs in the first half of this slick production, look no further than Hilary Mantel. It was the author of Wolf Hall who, in his 2014 short storyhe imagined the story of a mishap in a Genteel Windsor home where a suspected bomber was found with a gun in his bag and his eye on a nearby hospital. Any minute now, the prime minister would emerge.

Prosperous in his wealth, Assassination of Margaret Thatcher – August 6, 1983 he found humor in trying out bad ideas. It was in the false sense of confidence in the shooter the first time, the odd combination of teacups and murderous intent, and how the host had little tolerance for the Tory leader. On stage, it’s as if the taciturn Pinter hardman and the happy divorcee Ayckbourn accidentally end up in the same play. Cultural debate is funny.

But if you want someone to thank you for editing this simple drawing an impressive piece of theaterAlexandra Wood is your playwright. He is interested in leaving Mantel’s humor as it is, as well as the political views of the story.

Set in the era of the IRA hunger strikers, The sinking of the Belgrano with unemployment at an alarming rate, the play is about power and powerlessness. In the face of a shared enemy, it may be too little to have a conversation, but what kind of behavior is too much?

The interesting thing is that, when you get to John Young’s design, when you write the interior of Ceci Ng’ombe, with a flower bed, painted leaves and a working kettle, because of its realism, the whole thing is torn apart and the two springs of fear in the life of the game.

As giant dolls in Thatcher’s blue dress fall from above, actresses Robbie O’Neill and Anita Reynolds – not exactly matched – fall into the symbolic space of the future. Simisola Majekodunmi’s lighting is storm-like and Kieran Lucas’s soundscapes take on an artistic intensity, as the playwright carves out the space to explore Mantel’s story. That he does this without compromising his design makes for a bold and inspiring transformation.