Accidental Death of an Anarchist – Lyric Hammersmith

Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist is justifiably championed as a paragon of political theatre. It’s a satirical farce, focussed on police corruption and collusion with right-wing agitators. The play premiered in 1970 and was inspired by the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing and the very suspicious death of Giuseppe Pinelli, while being interrogated by the police.

Why would a 50-year-old Italian comedy still have relevance today? Hmmm. Well, Lord Scarman’s 1981 report into the Met’s handling of the Brixton riots recommended major changes to police training and law enforcement. In ’93, after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the Macpherson Report found the Met’s investigation was “marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership”. This week’s Casey report into the Met is set to be the most damning dip into police malpractice the UK has witnessed. Due to the Met’s inability to get its house in order, despite a grim slew of revelations, Fo’s play is more relevant now than it was in 1970. 

In reality, police corruption is no laughing matter, so it’s a thrill to see a production of this classic that’s hilarious, savage and justifiably punchy. Tom Basden’s adaption of the text is a dazzling feat of wit, winking word play and political provocation. The jokes come so fast, it’s like being hit by a hail of rubber bullets. Or a big blast of tear gas. Perhaps a water cannon.

Daniel Rigby plays The Maniac, a master of disguise, unrepentant drama queen and thespian thorn in the flesh of the force. He is sensational, nailing the character’s giddy mix of jester, teacher, activist and ringmaster. Rigby goes in hard from the get-go, serving a deranged energy that charms, slaps and batters the audience. Think you’re too sophisticated for slapstick? Rigby skilfully wears you down with his clowning expertise ‘til you’re too weak to resist. 

It’s extremely funny, but just when you’re dabbing tears from the eye, the script cuts you with a line like a razor. When The Maniac impersonates an officer, boasting that taking selfies with corpses is ‘just bants’ there was an audible gasp from the audience. In keeping with Fo’s intentions, this production doesn’t let you get too cosy in the comedy. Accidental Death of an Anarchist wants the audience to laugh, but also to wake up and smell the uniform. Rape, murder and hateful prejudice are happening for real, outside the theatre and it’s the police who’re the perpetrators. The LOLs curdle in your throat. 

When Dario Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997, the Swedish Royal Academy observed that he had ‘emulated the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden’. Way to go, Fo. 

The technical rigours of physical theatre require ensemble chops and the entire cast are flawless in delivering a circus of teamwork. Every actor gets a spin of the wheel with killer quips and kiddy silliness. The direction from Daniel Raggett is tight like a copper’s helmet, sustaining the pace and keeping the entire mise-en-scène on the right side of outright chaos. As the curtain fell on the first act, Junior Murvin’s ‘Police and Thieves’ bled through the speakers as the audience made for the bar. There’s no escape from the cheeky, details, even in the interval. 

After a standing ovation, the cast departed, and the stage became a giant screen with a rolling counter that clocked the amount of people who’ve died in police custody since 1969. It’s over 3,000. It’s hard not to be haunted by this fact as one drifts into the night. This show is timely, astute and hugely entertaining. It thumps like a truncheon and ultimately chills the spirit like the sound of a cell door slamming. 

Accidental Death of an Anarchist is at Lyric Hammersmith until 8th April 2023, https://lyric.co.uk/

Reviewer: Stewart Who?

Reviewed: 18th March 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★