This was a good night at the theatre; a very entertaining, production on a very dark subject.The subject is the role and value of the artist in a totalitarian society, in this case the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin’s dictatorship.
Andy Simpson gives a very solid performance as ambitious playwright Mikhail Bulgakov who has written a play about legendary playwright Moliere. The night after the play opens he is visited by two government secret policemen who tell him that his show is banned and won’t be performed again unless he agrees to write a book about Joseph Stalin’s early life.
Mikhail feels trapped, and sits in front of his typewriter without any words coming out. Then one day he gets an anonymous call from a man who tells him to meet him at a local train station. Mikhail apologises to his wife Yelena, played with grace by Audrey Blyde, and leaves for the station.
The anonymous man happens to be none other than Joseph Stalin, played in a very striking way by Richard Cotter. The station happens to be right under the Kremlin.
Stalin meets Mikhail because he is a big fan of the theatre. He has seen Mikhail’s play The White Guard ten times. He has a deal for Mikhail. He assures Mikhail that his play can continue to be performed. In return he has to write the book that the secret police asked him to write!
Mikhail isn’t too keen on writing the book – he despises the regime. Then Stalin sits in front of Mikhail and furiously starts to write. Page after page comes out. He is writing his story. Stalin offers Mikhail another deal. He will write his story as long as it is in Mikhail’s name and he assures him that his play can continue to be performed. In return Mikhail has to sign off on some of the awful government orders that are coming through.
Mikhail reluctantly agrees to this Faustian deal. The play is written in a non-naturalistic, absurdist style with an engaging mix of reality and fantasy. Mikhail becomes increasingly disgruntled with his submissive relationship to Stalin and how he feels so weak for having fallen for his malevolent charisma.
Dave Kirkham and Annette van Roden convincingly play Mikhail’s friends, Vasilly and Praskovya and Michael Arvithis deftly plays Sergei.
Moira Blumenthal directs a winning production. Blumenthal highlights the humour in this very black comedy. Colleen Cook’s set is very functional without being ostentatious. Her costumes are excellent. Martin Kinnane lights the stage well, and Patrick Howard’s soundscape is suitably edgy.
Recommended John Hodge’s COLLABORATORS is playing the New Theatre, 403 King Street, Newtown until Saturday 6th July, 2019. Performances are 7.30pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 4,30pm on Sundays.
Featured image- Richard Cotter as Joseph Stalin in the New’s production of John Hodge’s COLLABORATORS