The Observer

Genre: Drama
Opened 20 May 2009
Written: by Matt Charman
Directed: Richard Eyre
Cast: Anna Chancellor, Chuk Iwuji, James Fleet
Synopsis: An international group of observers arrives in a West African country to oversee and rubber stamp its first democratic election. New voters queue in their thousands, but a senior member of the observation team find herself both horrified by the President's suppressive tactics and, for once, in a position to do something about it. Yet as violence on the streets escalates and the country enters free fall, an increasingly angry young translator forces this well-meaning outsider to confront the impact of her intervention.

What the popular press had to say....
FIONA MOUNTFORD for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "A gripping and powerful work, although far less credit for his [Matt Charman] final dramatic conflict resolution skills." CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "Impressively researched if excessively garrulous new play...For all its merits, I suspect this intriguing but sometimes pedestrian drama would probably work better as an atmospheric novel than it does as a play. " MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "The play grips partly because elections are always fascinating, and because Charman sees both sides of the case... fast-paced production." BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "Intelligent, informative and interesting yet oddly apologetic and compunctious new play...finely staged and acted production "

External links to full reviews from popular press
The Guardian
The Times
Daily Telegraph

Production photo by Nobby Clark