I suspect that, for most people, seeing a play about terrorism, anarchy, politics and time would be very low down on their wish list, but Rolemop Arts Limited’s new adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel The Secret Agent is an entertaining and thought-provoking piece that is very relevant in today’s climate.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll think that the first time this country was hit by terrorists was when the IRA’s campaign of violence began in earnest. If so, you’d be wrong. In 1894 anarchists detonated a bomb in London as part of their Europe-wide terror campaign of the late nineteenth century. If the target was Queen Victoria, the Houses of Parliament or something/someone of similar prominence it would almost have been understandable, but no, they appear to have chosen the Royal Observatory in Greenwich – hardly the most high-profile of choices, but, the play suggests, may have been an attempt by the perpetrators to hit at time itself.
The Secret Agent is based on the attack, exploring the effects it has on an individual family and the relationship between politics and terrorism (Alexander Litvinenko anyone?). Time is a theme that runs throughout; the anarchists’ principal aim is to disrupt or destroy time in attacking the Royal Observatory, without seeming to realise the irony that clocks are a component part of the bombs they use.
Four very talented actors – Heather Urquhart, David Mounfield, Ian Shaw and Seth Morgan – portray all the characters in the play, switching effortlessly between roles by simply changing a hat or prop. The set is simple yet effective; nine clocks (stopped at different times) hang behind the performance area, which is dominated by a number of wedge-shaped blocks that can be moved around or merged to indicate a different environment. This worked very well in such an intimate setting as the Burton Taylor, but would probably have worked equally well in a larger space. The shadows cast onto the back wall of the playing area towards the conclusion of the play were particularly effective.
Naturally there were many parallels between the events portrayed in the play and the UK’s current terrorist situation. Dangerous yet charismatic madmen recruit impressionable and vulnerable individuals to do their bidding, even if they themselves will be nowhere near the scene of the attack; politicians debate whether it is acceptable to arrest people simply because their views may not match what might be considered “mainstream” – the line saying “we can’t lock someone up just because we don’t like them” is especially poignant given the current debate around the possible 42 day detention of terrorism suspects. The play doesn’t necessarily offer any suggestions on how to deal with the radicals within our society, but it does show that it’s not a new problem.
One or two things in the production didn’t entirely work. At various points The Professor (Mr Morgan) came to the front of the stage and created a “human clock” to show that we were moving back in time; I wasn’t totally sold on this as a concept, as I think the audience should be considered intelligent enough to be able to work this out for themselves. Also in such a small space sometimes some of the gestures and facial expressions were a little too pronounced – less is frequently more at the BT (additionally dropping a blatantly plastic knife that has just been used to stab someone falls flat without a satisfying metallic clang). Lastly, and to be extremely picky, it was noticeable that Adolph was wearing a wedding ring whilst his wife, Winnie, was not; perhaps it might be worth both actors discussing this?
This production is well worth seeing while it’s still in town; it covers important themes with a lot of humour and is by no means heavy going. Congratulations to all involved, and I wish you well for the rest of your tour.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll think that the first time this country was hit by terrorists was when the IRA’s campaign of violence began in earnest. If so, you’d be wrong. In 1894 anarchists detonated a bomb in London as part of their Europe-wide terror campaign of the late nineteenth century. If the target was Queen Victoria, the Houses of Parliament or something/someone of similar prominence it would almost have been understandable, but no, they appear to have chosen the Royal Observatory in Greenwich – hardly the most high-profile of choices, but, the play suggests, may have been an attempt by the perpetrators to hit at time itself.
The Secret Agent is based on the attack, exploring the effects it has on an individual family and the relationship between politics and terrorism (Alexander Litvinenko anyone?). Time is a theme that runs throughout; the anarchists’ principal aim is to disrupt or destroy time in attacking the Royal Observatory, without seeming to realise the irony that clocks are a component part of the bombs they use.
Four very talented actors – Heather Urquhart, David Mounfield, Ian Shaw and Seth Morgan – portray all the characters in the play, switching effortlessly between roles by simply changing a hat or prop. The set is simple yet effective; nine clocks (stopped at different times) hang behind the performance area, which is dominated by a number of wedge-shaped blocks that can be moved around or merged to indicate a different environment. This worked very well in such an intimate setting as the Burton Taylor, but would probably have worked equally well in a larger space. The shadows cast onto the back wall of the playing area towards the conclusion of the play were particularly effective.
Naturally there were many parallels between the events portrayed in the play and the UK’s current terrorist situation. Dangerous yet charismatic madmen recruit impressionable and vulnerable individuals to do their bidding, even if they themselves will be nowhere near the scene of the attack; politicians debate whether it is acceptable to arrest people simply because their views may not match what might be considered “mainstream” – the line saying “we can’t lock someone up just because we don’t like them” is especially poignant given the current debate around the possible 42 day detention of terrorism suspects. The play doesn’t necessarily offer any suggestions on how to deal with the radicals within our society, but it does show that it’s not a new problem.
One or two things in the production didn’t entirely work. At various points The Professor (Mr Morgan) came to the front of the stage and created a “human clock” to show that we were moving back in time; I wasn’t totally sold on this as a concept, as I think the audience should be considered intelligent enough to be able to work this out for themselves. Also in such a small space sometimes some of the gestures and facial expressions were a little too pronounced – less is frequently more at the BT (additionally dropping a blatantly plastic knife that has just been used to stab someone falls flat without a satisfying metallic clang). Lastly, and to be extremely picky, it was noticeable that Adolph was wearing a wedding ring whilst his wife, Winnie, was not; perhaps it might be worth both actors discussing this?
This production is well worth seeing while it’s still in town; it covers important themes with a lot of humour and is by no means heavy going. Congratulations to all involved, and I wish you well for the rest of your tour.