"Accidental Death Of An Anarchist" by Dario Fo and Franca Rame.

Adapted by Tom Basden.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Here's another one of those plays where I know the play title and should know the story and, in the last quarter of a century, feel that I should have seen it, at least once, but I didn't and I haven't!

An anarchist has fallen to his death from a window whilst in police custody. But did he fall or was he pushed?

As the police attempt to avoid a scandal, a fraudster, known only as the Maniac, is brought into Police Headquarters just as the officers are preparing for a judicial review of the recent "accidental" death. Outwitting his captors, the Maniac dupes them into performing a farcical recreation of the incident, exposing the corruption and idiocy at the heart of the system.

Dan Janes (Maniac) is a comedy genius in this role, and is a real find. This is Dan's debut for the Lace Market Theatre, although he has worked with the Nottingham Playhouse as well as the National Youth Theatre. Maniac is a blend of Freddie Starr's unpredictability and comic danger, The Joker's  comic eeriness and threat, Malcolm McDowell's Alex from "A Clockwork Orange", Roger, the Alien from "American Dad", being a constant character re-imaginer and the edginess of Lee Evans stage work. If you can imagine all of these characteristics in one persona, then you're close to how Dan plays this character. 

Dan also gets the majority of the script, never falling over the words, especially with the breakneck speed that it's delivered. This is full on physical comedy and his facial expressions add to his visual comedy skills. With Maniac being on stage for practically all of the play, I imagine that Dan will be exhausted by the end of this week.

 

Joe Foster (Inspector Burton) returns to the Lace Market Theatre after working in London. Burton is the first of the police force to encounter Maniac, and straight away shows that Maniac has the ability to run rings around authority figures, giving them not a second to unravel his speed talk. All of these characters bring a wonderful feeling of slapstick and farce to the stage, which becomes even more apparent in the second act. Joe returns in Act Two and is the recipient of lots of physical kicking, all of which sounded like contact was made on every occasion. Another excellent comedy role.

 

Mark Anderson (Superintendent Curry) makes his second appearance on the Lace Market stage as Curry. Fo has created some brilliant comedy roles for these characters and have had proper comedy breath breathed into each role by all of these actors. But, don't take my word for it, korma long and see for yourself!

 

Luke Willis (Daisy) is one of those actors who, like Dan, has a very flexible face and uses it to wonderful effect as D.I. Daisy. I've been lucky enough to see Luke in many productions over the years, but playing Daisy has to be the pinnacle of his comedic talents, thus far anyway. Think Mr Bean's facial contortions and you'll be close to just how comical Luke's visual talents can be.

 

Raymond Macdonald-Hulme (P.C. Joseph) is another brilliant find for the Lace Market Theatre. Raymond makes his debut Lace Market Theatre performance, having acted in several productions in Leicestershire.

 

Phyllis Ruse (Phelan/P.C. Jackson) also makes her debut here. Jackson is a lovely comedy character and Phelan is the magazine reporter, seen in the second act who also manages to get hoodwinked about what may have been the real truth about the initial death of the anarchist.

This production is another one of those ensemble pieces where every actor is as strong as the next one, making the whole cast's combined qualities a sure fit hit with the practically packed auditorium.

Directed by Jamie Goodliffe, who also makes his debut as Director. Well, if this is what a directorial debut looks like, then bring on the next one because this show is as close to perfection as you can get. It's also a very brave debut due to the express train pace, the timing of the jokes, which often are delivered like a machine gun. The physical comedy is timed perfectly as is the farce and the slapstick elements of the play. Another perfect area is the casting.

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• Lighting Design is by Esther Warren. There are sections of the play that require split second lighting changes, and every cue for these changes are executed perfectly.
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• Sound Design is by Darren Coxon, and like the lighting cues, the sound cues are timed to perfection. Much of the physical comedy is almost like watching a piece of animation, and the sound effects that go along with that field make the connection even more realistic, thanks to the sound cues.

The set design is the first thing you see as you walk through the door, naturally, and that piques your interest in the performance you're going to see. The set is one room on the third floor of the police station. There's a wonderful scene where Maniac transports us from the third floor to the fourth floor, thanks to a few changes to the props, sourced by Lesley Brown and Wendy Silver, and a clever use of the video background. One of the doors from the office also shows a corridor which leads off from this room. Guy Evans, who designed this set has really created one of those sets that keep your eyes occupied throughout the play as you notice different things in different parts continuously.

The projection showing the world outside the window is by Matt Allcock and created by Joe Foster.

What I wasn't expecting were dance routines scattered around the story. This area was thanks to Hannah Gorton, and will give you another reason to smile.

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• Stage Managed by Sammy Whitworth and Chloe Murcott.
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• Wardrobe is by Max Bromley and Madeline Gould, and the work that has gone into Maniac's various costumes is marvellous and very commendable.

This is one of the funniest plays I have seen, but that is due to an incredibly talented cast who can take the comedy from the page and bring the laughs to life on stage. It's also due to a Director who has a vision, and the ability to bring forth the comedy within politics.

Although written in 1970, you'll find plenty of modern additions to the script, and I smiled at the panto mentions and the type of people who are used to try and get bums on seats for pantomimes. There are some nice local mentions that have been added to the adaptation aside from Tom Basden's adaptation. Tom's name may be familiar to you, especially if like myself you're a fan of the comedy "Plebs". The final speech by Maniac brings the attitude of modern police behaviour right up to date, leaving quite a serious thought with the audience before they leave the theatre.

Monday was first night and was practically a full house, and I think that you may need to get your skates on to get a ticket for the remaining shows, as I have a feeling this production is going to be sold out, pretty damn quick!

"Accidental Death Of An Anarchist" is at the Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 27 June.

Photographs by Grace Eden Photography.