Identity confusion sits at the heart of this re-telling of G. K. Chesterton’s best-known novel. Chesterton is probably most famous as the creator of Father Brown to the modern audience, but this is an intriguing revival of The Man Who Was Thursday with modern resonance.
Riotous revival of G. K. Chesterton's most famous novel
The year is 1908 and Europe is witnessing political upheaval, which will ultimately lead to the outbreak of World War I. A variety of groups are pushing for reform and governments are increasingly under pressure to suppress uprisings. Among these is an organised group of anarchists, not a contradiction in terms, led by the seemingly omnipotent ‘Sunday’. Sunday oversees the remainder of the anarchic inner circle, with the six other individuals named Monday through Saturday.
Here is the first twist: it is iteratively revealed that all of the remainder of this inner circle are in fact undercover police officers, recruited to monitor activities. They learn of the plot to assassinate the prime minister, H. H. Asquith, which they endeavour to thwart. There is a further plot twist, representing a quite specific re-interpretation of the original novel.
This production by The Department Of Ulterior Motives is nothing less than a riotous whirlwind of activity, comprising physical theatre, comedy, slapstick, clowning and much more. Some scenes land better than others, but the overall standard is excellent and the pace simply relentless. The chalked faces, while leaning into commedia dell’arte, are perhaps designed to fuel the idea of identity confusion. There is a talented ensemble (Esther Dracott, Michael Grant, Zarrina Danaeva, Maria Evans, Oliver Russell, Mickey Knighton, Andrew Bird and Bill Griffiths), all under the watchful eye of Samuel Masters and Morgan Corby.
There are some themes open to further exploration. The role of Sunday, suggestive of nominative determinism perhaps, may be rooted in Chesterton’s religious beliefs. The role of poetry is brought into the spotlight: is poetry order or chaos? There are modern slants on a century-old novel: the idea of a vegan bomb, gender swaps, 21st-century political slogans, not to mention police officers’ infiltration of protest or political groups - somewhat topical. The Kafkaesque brushes with dogmatic authority most definitely resonate.
This swirl of physical comedy is a most enjoyable romp and can still be caught at Rotunda and BOAT as part of Brighton Fringe.
