11.03.2004

Questioning our times

Andy de la Tour (writer-director), 'Question time', The Arcola (Dalston Kingsland, Silverlink), £10 (concessions: £6; Tuesdays: pay what you can). Ends March 20

Question time tackles the ‘ideology versus pragmatism’ debate in contemporary human form: the Blair babe. It charts the rise and rise of Angela (Mary Jo Randle), as she navigates her way from the old left to the heights of number two at the treasury. Her dysfunctional family - husband Larry (David Michaels) is a serial trouser-snake and daughter Erica (Claire Redcliffe) is sexually confused - ensure that it is not plain sailing.

The beauty of this piece is twofold. First, Angela is a knowing accomplice - she knows she has benefited from Blair’s positive discrimination and is determined to milk it till the last drop. It is a relief to see the female character portrayed for once as the political aggressor, albeit in less than flattering terms. Second, the play unravels expertly, presenting the audience with a much more complex narrative than was immediately apparent. By the end of the first act we realise we are not just witnessing the consequences of Angela’s pragmatism upon her political life, but also on her family.

Angela’s trade unionist father, Eric (Bernard Kay), is slowly heartbroken, watching his daughter systematically abandon everything he fought for, and Erica struggles with the realisation that her mother is able to put her career before her daughter. Emotionally charged scenes ensue, and with them de la Tour broadens his message: we make the political choices we do because of who we are. We are given a political narrative grounded in gritty, painful reality - the best kind of political theatre rather than a pseudo-docudrama (the worst kind of political theatre).

The play’s major flaws are its staging and its conventional - although compelling - narrative. The naturalistic set was swamped by the Arcola’s cavernous space, and the pretend patio looked too genteel a setting for the difficult emotions experienced on it. I would have been more absorbed by the world of the play if I had been presented with a set that represented not only the claustrophobia of the family environment, but also how the characters related to each other in spatial terms. It is a curious thing, but often naturalism in theatrical terms can lead playwrights away from the truth, as they struggle to be over-literal.

Also an anti-linear narrative would have outlined Angela’s determination to keep the personal and political separate, and maximised the chaos that results. Setting a play in the ‘here and now’ does not mean sticking to the most straightforward and conventional method of storytelling. Kay Adshead, author of such political dramatic gems as Thatcher’s women and most recently Animal uses an anti-linear structure and striking imagery to create a haunting world where characters are awed by the chaos that results from what we call politics.

Nevertheless a must-see for the politically engaged, who will enjoy de la Tour’s astutely observed characterisation, as well as the energetic performances of all the cast.