The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, a stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's incendiary short story, is now playing at the Liverpool Everyman. This production, directed by John Young and adapted by Alexandra Wood, revisits the fraught political climate of 1980s Britain through a tense encounter between a Windsor divorcée and an IRA sniper.
A Darkly Comic Thriller
The play centres on Caroline (Anita Reynolds), who is waiting for a plumber when Brendan (Robbie O'Neill) arrives with a rifle instead of tools. Brendan plans to assassinate Margaret Thatcher, who is recovering from eye surgery at a nearby hospital. The dialogue crackles with dark humour, as Brendan muses about the prime minister's nickname, 'the widowmaker'. The production is billed as a psychological thriller but plays more like a black comedy, with political detours exploring class, race, and violence.
Performances and Direction
Reynolds brings verve to Caroline, a woman who bristles at Brendan's assumptions about her politics and identity. O'Neill's Brendan is unpredictable, shifting from monosyllabic to manifesto-spouting. Their exchanges sometimes become didactic, cataloguing the era's ills. The first act ends with a shock: a headless Thatcher mannequin drops from the ceiling. The second act grows more surreal, with cloth bodies piling up as gunshots punctuate alternate scenarios.
Provocation Without Easy Answers
The play is not subtle, but it provokes thought. It asks audiences to grapple with political violence, fanaticism, and apathy. Like Mantel's work, it offers no easy answers. In today's febrile climate, the story feels as explosive as ever. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher runs until 23 May at the Liverpool Everyman.
