Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Theatre Royal Haymarket
4.8/5 based on 18 reviews (read reviews)- Booking until: Friday, 8 September 2023
- Running time: 2 hours
Accidental Death of an Anarchist description
Accidental Death of an Anarchist – Timely storytelling
Following sell-out performances at the Lyric Hammersmith, Accidental Death of an Anarchist transfers to the West End for summer 2023, a wickedly funny and highly relevant play. Previews kick off at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 12th June and the opening night takes place on 26th June for a strictly limited run to 9th September. The brilliant Daniel Rigby plays the starring role in a play that is just as relevant today as it was back in 1970, when it originally premiered.
What's the story behind Accidental Death of an Anarchist?
This excellent play is based on real life. In 1969 the anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli died when he fell out of a fourth floor window in an Italian police station. He was being interrogated about a terrorist bomb that killed 17 people in the city of Milan. The original Italian production’s first two years saw more than half a million people experience the play for themselves, a cultural revolution of a sort, and it has been produced on the world’s stages frequently ever since. These days it’s a worthy twentieth-century classic, a drama so sharp and funny that it speaks loudly to police corruption almost 60 years later.
As you can imagine the Italian police detested it. Inspector Bertozzo from Central Italian Police HQ said at the time, “I ought to warn you that the author of this sick little play, Dario Fo, has the traditional, irrational hatred of the police common to all narrowminded left-wingers”. Mr Fo, we salute you!
About Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Tom Basden has adapted Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s original masterpiece to give it a modern London setting. Just like in the original, the police investigators have to figure out if the anarchist was pushed or jumped all on his own. Things start to go awry when an unhinged maniac arrested by the force recreates the events, leaving the police forced to admit to their own silly fails and cover-ups.
Daniel Rigby plays the Maniac and Tony Gardner plays Superintendent Curry. The full West End cast will be announced nearer the time. Daniel Raggett directs, with set and costume design by Anna Reid, lighting design by Jai Morjaria, and sound design and composition by Annie May Fletcher. Accidental Death of an Anarchist theatre tickets are tipped to be hot stuff, so grab yours while you can.
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Playing at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Age restrictions
14+
Please note: This performance features smoke, haze, strobe lighting, flash/blinder lights, loud music and very loud sudden sound effects. This production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist may contain themes or references that some audience members find upsetting and/or unsettling.
Important information
This performance features smoke, haze, strobe lighting, flash/blinder lights, loud music and very loud sudden sound effects. This production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist may contain themes or references that some audience members find upsetting and/or unsettling.