Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Accidental Death of an Anarchist first appeared in 1970, inspired by the mysterious demise of a certain Giuseppe Pinelli in December 1969. Investigative journalism yielded contention about his death which occurred in police custody and it's this ambivalence that lies at the heart of Fo's play. The character of the maniac becomes the modern-day equivalent of Shakespeare's Fool, acting as a mirror by which the faults of a society are exposed and ridiculed.

The problem with this production, directed by Robert Delamere, is that despite its up to date references and Ifans' amusing presence, it swiftly comes across as wearisome, retreading the same ground and inducing fatigue rather than the intellectual engagement it should surely encourage. On the credit side, there are a few genuinely comic moments like the officers' musical harmony and an enjoyable turn from Adrian Scarborough as a pompous, corrupt official, but it's not enough to do justice to Fo's farce which, at best, can be both hilarious and cautionary.

(Production photo by Mark Douet)

Notices from the popular press....

CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "A sparky new translation." MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "Although the production slowly wins one over, it is torn between reverence for the original and the desire to do a radical re-write." BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "An often amusing evening ends by adding clunkiness to irrelevance." NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "A delectably seriously farcical delight." JOHN PETER for THE SUNDAY TIMES says, "A brutally funny antidetective story."

External links to full reviews from newspapers

The Guardian
The Times

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