Death of England: Michael ★★★★★ @sohoplace | Jul 15 - Sep 28, 2024


Clint Dyer's and Roy Williams' Death of England trilogy ponders questions of personal and national identity and belonging. The relationship of Michael Fletcher with his father, Adam, mirrors the post-war crisis of Britain as it struggles with a new self-definition. While the patriarch of this cockney family apparently girds himself in the comfortable clichés of football, racism and Sunday roast, son Michael is uncertain who he is. He wavers between his father's racist, Brexit worldview, and his own friendship with his black mate, Delroy, and his recognition of Britain as part of Europe. However, his confusion simply results in a self-destructive indulgence in alcohol and drugs. Then, there is his father's death and the revelations that his father may not have been as one-dimensional as he pretended. Adam's clinging to his creed as the hardman and unloving parent may have actually been his own defence mechanism for dealing with the doubt and complexity of a new social reality. Taking on the characters of Michael, his father, mother and sister, plus Delroy and Delroy's formidable mother, Thomas Coombes does a splendid job of capturing Michael's dilemma. It is a performance that holds the audience riveted as he brings to life each of these individuals, and Michael's discovery of his father's inner life is deeply moving. Using simple staging and minimal props, Director Clint Dyer ensures that the audience's interest never flags. The piece is staged to ensure that the focus stays on Coombes, and Jackie Shemesh's dramatic lighting is simply first rate. Clint Dyer and Roy Williams have written a raw, provocative look at contemporary events which comes to life through a brilliantly evocative performance.

Rated: ★★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Helen Murray

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