The Last Days of Liz Truss? By Greg Wilkinson. The White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London until 14 December 2024, 3☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
Photo Credit: Tristram Kenton
The Last Days of Liz Truss? By Greg Wilkinson. The White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London until 14 December 2024,
3☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.
“Liz reflects.”
Liz is at her desk. It is her last day in Downing Street. She reflects on her career. Is it all over or will she come back? Is it too soon to write her off completely? Will she be forever that face people no longer recognise at the Cenotaph once a year or is she doomed to be known only as being outlasted by a lettuce? Emma Wilkinson Wright prowls the stage in this interesting tale of times forgotten and events overtaken while various voices off, including those of Margaret Thatcher and Kwasi Karteng are provided by Steve Nailon, At 90 minutes, however, it seems longer than her tenure of office. The Queen, of course, did her no favours by dying almost before she had her feet beneath her desk in Downing Street and going on and on about the need for growth is a song being sung by others from a different hymn sheet these days. It is occasionally very funny, at times rather sad. This one time Liberal who became a Conservative MP was an Under Secretary for childcare, Secretary of State for the Environment, food and rural affairs, Secretary of State for Justice and the first woman to be Lord Chancellor, Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for International trade and Foreign Secretary before defeating Rishi Sunak in the election of a new Prime Minister following the down fall of Boris Johnson. Just why a decade in government, impressive by any standards should have ended so suddenly and ignominiously once she was heading a government is no laughing matter although the laughs do come. For all her determination to get things done there is something inherently comic about her behaviour, her love of karaoke, those worries about deep state foes and the loathing for the inmates of the Treasury on top of all the resentments buried deep inside. A little closer approximation to the Truss voice – one felt Wilkinson Wright had a touch of laryngitis which affected her speech – would help as would some cutting down to a length without an interval. It does, however, raise the awful thought that we might not have heard the last of Liz just as we have not heard the last of Donald Trump. Let us hope it is.
Cast
Emma Wilkinson Wright – Liz Truss.
Steve Nailon – Everybody else.
Creatives
Director – Anthony Shrubsall.
Set Design & Costume – Maie Arcucci.
Voice coach – Ryan O Grady.
Theatre, play 5 November 2024.
Photo Credit – Elliott Franks.
