Theatre in London is not all it is made out to be. Firstly the majority of shows are musicals and old reliables aimed squarely at the tourist and corporate entertainment markets. Go to New York and you see the same money spinning shows on Broadway. Secondly the bulk of the 60 odd theatres in Central London are controlled by a small number of companies who have rather quaint and somewhat spivvy attitudes, such as ludicrous booking fees when you use their websites (i.e. they charge you to do their admin for them) and silly discount schemes to maintain high headline ticket prices.
So it is refreshing to see new and innovative drama and as a Labour activist I eagerly looked forward to seeing A Walk on Part; The Fall of New Labour brought to the West End by the ever lively Soho Theatre but performed at the small 350 seat Arts Theatre near Leicester Square. Its subject, Chris Mullin, was well known as a journalist before becoming a Labour MP for his pivotal role in campaigning for the Birmingham Six, who were convicted and imprisoned on false evidence.They were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in England for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the Court of Appeal on 14 March 1991.
In 1986, Mullin's book, Error of Judgment: The Truth About the Birmingham Pub Bombings, set out a detailed case supporting the men's claims that they were innocent. It included his claim to have met some of those who were actually responsible for the bombings.
Chris Mullin was first elected as a Labour MP in 1987, and was returned at every subsequent election until 2005. He did not seek re-election in 2010. Michael Chaplin’s A Walk on Part dramatises the fall of New Labour as documented by his diaries. It is an insider's view of the last and most turbulent decade in politics; this is a fast, funny and furious theatrical ride based on his critically acclaimed diaries. With a huge host of well-known characters including John Prescott, David Cameron, George Osborne, Tony Benn and Tony Blair.
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| Tony Blair entering Downing Street as Prime Minister in 1997 |
Blending gossip, insight and details of the frustrations of ministerial and backbench life alike, the show is excellently performed under Max Roberts's direction. John Hodgkinson, with his awkwardly buttoned-up jacket and air of inquisitive bemusement, admirably captures Mullin's mix of decency and self-doubt. The other 60-odd characters are also evoked with lightning skill by the top class cast in a piece that shows political theatre at its entertaining best and leaves Mullin asking "Was anything done?"
It was an excellent evening’s theatre which kept the audience right there with its wonderful blend of insight and wit. John Hodgkinson plays Chris Mullin brilliantly with his bad buttoned up suit echoing the description of the subject as "looking like a deck chair which had been left out over the winter." As a narrative on New Labour it covers a lot of ground really well and I suspect with its pace, cast and complex weaving of references is a far more reliable guide to those halcyon years when Tony Blair led Labour to a historic three General Election victories, an achievement never equaled by any other Labour leader. A must see both for the political aficionado and for those who enjoy good new writing and excellent acting.
John Hodgkinson as Chris Mullin.
With Tracy Gillman, Hywel Morgan, Andi Osho & Joe Caffrey.
Arts Theatre
6-7 Great Newport Street
London Chinatown
WC2H 7JB
Channel 4 Political Correspondent Michael Crick quizzes the ex-PM over the recent West End transfer of A Walk On Part; the hit political comedy adapted from the diaries of Chris Mullin.
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