Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Theatre Royal Haymarket

When Dario Fo and Franca Rame wrote the original text back in 1970, Italy was going through its infamous Years of Lead – a time of political and social upheaval that still haunts the country to this day. In 1969, railroad worker and anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli was identified as a main suspect in the Piazza Fontana bombing and – despite a lack of evidence – held at a police station in Milan, where he died at the hands of police officers who proceeded to call his death “an accident”. Deeply touched by the events, Rame and Fo wrote a brilliant satire rooted in an unstable soil that had gulped down gallons of blood, with heavy police boots stomping on it; which is, perhaps, what makes it an immortal and still so relevant masterpiece.

Its simultaneously timely and timeless nature reveals itself once more in Tom Basden’s adaptation, masterfully directed by Daniel Raggett. Even though there is a lot going on, including timely references to controversial WhatsApp groups, inclusivity and diversity training, Magic Mike and farmers markets, as well as a Queen-esque rendition of anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao, the two hours seem to fly by, as the audience is transported inside a whirlwind of well-crafted madness.

Award-winning actor Daniel Rigby is The Maniac, the mysterious protagonist with a talent for impersonation and 12 charges, most recently for pretending to be a psychiatrist. A skilful trickster and free-spirited descendant of Harlequin, he is intent on using his talents to expose the corruption infecting the MET police, and all the contradictions emerging from the different reports regarding the death of an Italian anarchist who “fell” from a window located on the fourth floor of the police station.

Throughout the play, The Maniac manages to deceive and drive to madness all the police officers – and, by the end, one question might pop to mind: who is the mad one? The certified madman, or the ones supposed to protect us, who instead try to use deception to hide their mucky tracks and clumsily disguise a murder as “an accident”? 

Rigby, brandishing a devilish grin that will be hard to forget, keeps on slipping in and out his many clothes and outfits – from esteemed Judge to a forensic expert with one hand and one eye. The frequent breaking of the fourth wall, with Rigby addressing the audience directly, never falls flat, but instead offers some of the most hilarious moments of the play: for instance, The Maniac chucking his jacket at an audience member sitting in the front row, after asking them if they were okay with him breaking the fourth wall.

This constant reminder that it is a farce also prevents the audience from falling under the theatre spell and remaining passive observers: The Maniac pulls everyone in, making us not just witnesses but conspirators. He spits uncomfortable truths while playing with the minds of the police officers, and directly trying to awaken his public’s political consciousness, keeping everyone alert.

After two hours of uninterrupted laughter and a few gasps, the play ends as it started: Rigby’s grin. It will haunt this writer, in a good way, and hopefully, it will haunt the MET, too, but not in a good way.

Benedetta Mancusi
Images: Helen Murray

Accidental Death of an Anarchist is at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 12^th June until 9^th September 2023. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.