Accidental Death of an Anarchist’s hard-hitting messages remain relevant 50 years on
A display of delightful insanity by Daniel Rigby as the Maniac, combined with simple but impactful lighting and set design, makes for a powerful reboot of the 20th-century classic.
Tony Gardner as the Superintendent in Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
After just over half a century, Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist has been
rebuilt to better reflect modern-day society and the essence of our
police force through dress-up and an outrageous musical rendition of Italian protest song 'Bella
Ciao'.
Tom Basden’s
new adaptation of the 1970 play, recently staged at
Sheffield Theatre’s Playhouse (formerly known as The Studio), has been renovated for a more relatable contemporary viewing. Set
in a police station, it sees the Maniac (Daniel Rigby) cause
mayhem in disguise as the lord chief justice, pretending to
help the the police make a re-opened case on the
death of an Italian anarchist train driver seem more credible in
favour of the officers. But as the Maniac delves into what really
happened on the night of the death, the holes in what has been
reported widen.
Designed by Anna Reid, the simple but versatile set has more to it than meets the eye, becoming a canvas
for the Maniac’s insanity as he moves from writing on the
whiteboard to scribbling notes across the walls. The lighting, as
designed by Jai Morjaria, makes an impact before the play has even
started. It’s not until
the end that the meaning behind the red tally marks is revealed with a short statement: “Since 1970, there have been over 3,000 deaths in police
custody in England and Wales. Each tally represents one of these
deaths.” We see a QR code linking to the website of Inquest,
a charity campaigning for justice for those who have died in state-related incidents.
Rigby has complete
command of the stage through what can only be described as his delightful
insanity. His performance is captivating, his enchanting, fourth wall-breaking nods to the
audience emphasising the cheekiness
of the Maniac, needing only expressions and a mischievous grin to
evoke laughter. His high energy contrasts with the varying levels of
sombreness of his co-stars, and completely mirrors the slightly
bewildered, concerned attitude of Superintendent Curry, played by
Tony Gardner.
Rigby’s
performance also stands in opposition to his sobering declaration of
unavoidable truths, a standout moment being: “After Orgreave and
Hillsborough and Stephen Lawrence and spy cops and five decades of
over three thousand deaths in police custody, the neon elephant in
the room becomes impossible to ignore: that no matter what’s going
on outside these police station walls, it’s still 1970 in this
place.”
Basden’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist is fantastic – a gritty but hilarious commentary on not-so-hidden corruption within the police force. It reveals the disheartening reality that, even though the play is 50 years old, its hard-hitting messages remain relevant, only adding to the case for radical change.
