What Shadows - Chris Hannan

First of all I have to say that I admire the writer for having a go at this. And on the whole he -is it a he? - has done well. It is a very big play and within the small setting the Park allows for, it seems to want to burst out. Who thought up the Chekovian trees, I wonder. A backdrop of Wolverhampton might have been better. I know he, Powell was supposed to be in love with the countryside but it didn’t look like English countryside. But what we got was the complexity of a guy who was happy with gay relationships and learned the Indian languages, respected the colonial soldiers and was nice to his wife and then was deaf to the actual language of prejudice. Of course what a gift in getting McDiarmid to play the part and wow, did he do well. He got the mouth movements and the accent so right yet didn’t descend into a caricacture. He conveyed the passion and the intellect. And the scene between the old men in the church was quality. Very impressive performance indeed. The others also did very well. Doubling not easy. And the little girl, super facial expression and stillness.
It was hard following the arguments sometimes. But I think the writer earned the right to have a go at them. Lots of contemporary relevance but not shoved in your face for a change. I would have liked to see a forward trajectory, maybe using videos taking it right up to the referendum but maybe that would have looked cheap.
Questions: why the brain cancer? He more likely would have been a successful businessman with a chain of electrical outlets with a daughter going to Oxford. And why the dementia? Better she could have been v happy and with a late child perhaps.
Brave to have the actual speech. I can’t recall seeing any tv of it. Is there any? Radio I think maybe. Back in the day I was old enough to know about it but didn’t actually read it until I was much older.
One thing I loved was the way the idea of 'colour' was presented. So tricky but done here so well. Lots to discuss from this play. I hope this writer goes on to write more. Not as assured as say, Oslo, but so superior to some of the rubbish the NT has served up lately.

Two little things: the signing from the tube to the Theatre is inadequate. Turn left and go thru the tunnel. And I highly recommend the Lebanese restaurant next door, really good and not expensive. The Theatre has stopped serving the lovely food it used to and gone over to pizzas.

Well. I thought I'd stumbled in on a production of Platonov when I first walked in. I'm sure I saw those trees at the Nash last year.

I found the play a bit hit and miss but thought some of the arguments about whether everyone is guilty of 'racism' in some way were interesting. I thought ultimately it attempted to cram too much into it though which left it all a little 'jumpy' and unsatisfying.

On the plus side, Emperor Palpatine was tremendous and Paula Wilcox looks terrific.

That speech is still utterly vile though even after all these years. And the bit where the gay man 'curtseys' to Powell needs to go.