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David Hare: Britain's Playwright
of Popnlar Dissent

presented by

lane A. Glenn

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DAVID HARE:
BRITAIN'S PLAYWRIGHT OF POPULAR DISSENT

BY

Lane A. Glenn

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Theatre

1994

ABSTRACT

DAVID HARE:
BRITAIN'S PLAYWRIGHT OF POPULAR DISSENT

By

Lane A. Glenn

The English playwright David Hare graduated from Britain's Fringe.
Theatre movement of the late T9605 and '705, a haven for young,
experimental, revolutionary playwrights. to popular acclaim and public
subsidization at the Royal National Theatre In London in the l990s.
However, he has maintained his position as one of England's most
outspoken critics of public institutions and social customs.

The purpose of this disseratation is to explore the evolution of Hare's
theatrical work, concentrating on his produced plays from 1979-1993. The
focus era coincides with the years of Margaret Thatcher's terms of office
as Prime Minister of Great Britain, and is the time of the playwright's
greatest change of style and growth of popularity. largely due to his
criticism of 'Thatcherite' Britain. By examining Hare's creative output
during this period, the dissertation will provide a better understanding of
the relationship between an artist and his subject matter, and a political
playwright and his audiences over a period of time.

Research will be conducted in two parts. The first involves a
thorough examination of Hare's plays over the last fifteen years (excluding
screenplays and films). Each play will be analyzed according to 1)
content, 2) structure, 3) style, and 4) critical reaction to production.

In each Instance the play‘s content refers to the basic storyline of

the play and the relationships between its characters, but more

importantly it refers to the play's political themes. The structure of each
play refers to the dramatic composition of the text and its importance to
the play's themes. The style of the play refers to the playwright's use of
language, characterization, and allegory for thematic purposes. Critical
reaction will be arrived at by canvassing reviews in newspapers and
periodicals, examining production runs and attendance, and interviewing
participants.

The second part of the research involves interviews with the
playwright and others involved in his productions. These include: David
Hare: Richard Eyre (Artistic Director of the National Theatre), Giles Croft
(the National Theatre‘s Literary Manager): and critics Benedict Nightingale
and Matt Wolf.

Copyright by
LANE A. GLENN
i 994

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for their special assistance
in the preparation of this work: Dr. Georg Schuttler, the Chairman of my
dissertation committee, whose guidance through the doctoral program
at Michigan State University, advice on how to use my research and
writing interests to their fullest extent, and editorial comments at every
stage of this project were invaluable: the Theatre Department and Dean‘s
Office of the College of Arts and Letters for their words of encouragement
and the support necessary to make my research trips possible: all of the
interview subjects, with special gratitude to Giles Croft, who opened
many doors at the National Theatre, Benedict Nightingale, a gracious,
yarn-spinning dinner companion; Matt Wolf, an American critic abroad

with an inspiring love for the theatre; and, of course, Kim.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Works of David Hare vii
l A Uterary Biography (1947-1978) 1
i 2 A Map of the World 26
3 Pravda 51
4 The Bay of Nice and Wrecked Eggs 78
5 The Secret Rapture 109
6 Racing Demon M7

7 Murmuring Judges T90

8 The Absence of War 232

9 Conclusion 273

Bibliography 277

vi

T var

plays

HOW BROPHY MADE GOOD
LAY BY
SLAG
THE GREAT EXHIBITION
KNUCKLE
BRASSN ECK (With Howard Brenton)
FANSHEN
TEETH 'N' SMILES
PLENTY
DEEDS (With Ken Campbell, Trevor Griffiths, and Howard Brenton)
A MAP OF THE WORLD
PRAVDA (With Howard Brenton)
THE BAY AT NICE and WRECKED EGGS
THE SECRET RAPTURE
RACING DEMON
MURMURING JUDGES
ABSENCE OF WAR

screenplays for television

LICKING HITLER
DREAMS OF LEAVING
SAIGON: YEAR OF THE CAT
HEADING HOME

screenplays

PLENTY
WETHERBY
PARIS BY NIGHT
STRAPLESS
DAMAGE

opera libretto
THE KNIFE
essays/joumalism

WRITING LEFT -HANDED
ASKING AROUND

vii

A Literary Biography
I 947-] 978

Although he Is lntensely Interested In the private lives of his fellow
Englishmen, David Hare does not like to divulge much about his own past
and present lifestyle. For him that would be extraneous to his job as an
artist. “Going on television or being In People magazine Is selling." says
Hare, “we (writers) are not selling: we're doing something different, and
we have to use different means. What Is the writer's claim? That you
speak only when you have something to say." (Bloom 34) What he has
disclosed, however, though Hare himself shuns such analysis, may explain
some of his political bent and social Ideas.

David Hare was born on June 5, 1947 In St. Leonard's-on-Sea In
Sussex, along the southeastern coast of England. Though he. resists
'psychologizing.‘ or over-emphasising the Importance of his early years,
he admits his birth was 'on the wave of postwar optimism. Everyone
came home from the war and had children. Bang on the day I was born,
the Marshall Plan was announced. and Europe became Europe.“
(Gussow 44) Uke many of his contemporaries, this post—war period In
British history has figured prominently In Hare's creative works. Plays like
Elemy and W, and films such as uckjngjjjjer and
Weflaerpy, rely heavily on the disillusionment that resulted for many Britons
when peacetime prosperity did not fulfill their expectations. But empty
dreams are not all Hare perceives from those early years. According to
him, the older members of his community were ready to return to life as

usual, to “get on with It“ after the war ended, while he maintained a

romantic fascination with It. 'What really got me.“ he says, “was the flavor
of the period. I liked the Ingredients: sex and danger.” (Gussow 44)
Hare's father was a ship's purser on a passenger liner that sailed
between England. India. and Australia. The time his father spent away
from home left Hare alone with his mother and sister. Surrounded by
women as a child, l-Iare developed an appreciation for the noble
qualities he found them to have. A noticeable trend In his writing from

the very beginning Is the presence of female protagonists. The

playwright‘s first success. Slag. as well as Elem. W, W
Eggs, W, Wetherbx. and Strapless all have strong women
characters.

Paddy Woodworth. a critic for the irish Times, has observed.
'Women are central to the work of David Hare, in a way which is most
unusual In a male writer for the stage and screen.‘ (Woodworth 12) In a
profile of the artist during the London run of W, Michael
Bloom noted. ”Hare's fascination with heroines Is the most obvious and
least understood aspect of his writing.‘ Hare's response was. “I've written
about women a lot because my subject has often been goodness. The
Idea of men being good seems to me to be slightly silly.“ (Bloom 33)

As a youth. Hare attended Lancing College, a private high—church
preparatory school. where for awhile he entertained ideas of entering the
clergy. While at Lancing he nearly became a sacrlstan. and did take the
position of Head Boy. an Ironic role for an artist who would one day
become a standard bearer for the anti-establishment crowd. As for the
theological Influence, Hare says. 'I have long been exercised by religion. I

felt that I had something over people: It made me a snooty. superior boy.

I could always not deal with my problems by referring to God, my
comfort.“ (Grove 12)

While at Lancing. and later during his university days, Hare was
conscious of his lower class upbringing and. he admits ashamedly.
attempted to alter his position by changing to a more aristocratic accent.
“I think It was contemptible that I wanted to belong to a smarter class.“ he
says. “I was a very ambitious young man. I was . born Into the semi-
detached world and was forced up through the system. I'm very good at
spotting other class fakes because I was so ridiculed for my accent at
Lancing. Fora long time It scarred me.“ (“Lone Wolf“ 12)

Following Lancing. Hare read English at Jesus College. Cambridge.
where he received his MA. While he got his first taste of the theatre at
Cambridge. the playwright discounts the Importance of those years. “I
did direct a couple of shows while I was there,“ he says, “Apart from that, I
felt I was wasting my time.“ (Page 7)

He graduated from Cambridge with honors In 1968 and, together
with the composer Tony Bicat. Who continues to score some of Hare's films
and plays, created the Portable Theatre, a travelling group of dramatic
artists whose business It was to send highly political works to the suburbs
and slums of English cities. ‘A It was a period of decentralization In London
theatre—the Fringe was forrnlng, running parallel to New York's Off-
Broadway houses-and Hare's troupe was at the crest of the movement.
“Portable was one of the first companies to move out of the cities.“ wrote
Jonathan Myerson In a 1980 profile of Hare. “out of the estalished venues
to find more open-minded audiences. They started by playing In people's

front rooms. army camps and on plain floorboards: by the end, they were

playing In the very arts centres on the circuit that they had been
Instrumental In founding.“ (Myerson 26)

The Portable Theatre and similar groups at various times attracted
theatre artists whose names today are synonymous with the Left, Labour.
or the Avant—garde. One such artist was the playwright Howard Brenton.
with whom Hare has written a number of plays. The oft-told anecdote of
their meeting In 1968 goes something like this: The Portable Theatre was
performing IDSIQQDLII. a Kafka adaptation. at a London venue. and only
one audience member showed up—Brenton. Hare and Bicat cancelled
the show. took the writer to a nearby pub. and became fast friends.
Within a year Hare directed a production of Brenton's W. a
show that made a name for both men.

In addition to his work with the Portable Theatre. Hare was Invited
by Christopher Hampton to take on the role of Uterary Manager at the
Royal Court Theatre In 1969. He looks back on his Royal Court days.
earning 37.103 0 week to plow through dozens of hopeful manuscripts.
with a mixture of disdain and grudglng admiration for his former
colleagues. “What struck me and cheered me there from the first day.“
Hare says. “was finding a group of people who assumed. without a
moment's self-doubt, that the dominant culture of the day was garbage.
because the values of the society were rotten: that. in particular. literary
affairs In this country are largely In the hands of a sold-out right-wing
middle class who can't write: and that therefore In artistic matters you
must, at whatever cost. trust your own experience and believe nothing
you read In newspapers.“ (Hare “lime of Unease“ 141)

His political fervor was curtailed, however, by what Hare and others

perceived to be a lack of Ideological passion on the part of the Royal

4

Court's coterle of directors. At the time a rancorous Issue, the playwright
reflects on the artistic differences that split the Royal Court with more
understanding now. “I believe that the Court In the early seventies was
primarily an aesthetic theatre. not a political one,“ he says. “And the
reason why It then lost the loyalty of so many writers In the following years
was because It finally refused to move Into the field of English politics.
although It was presenting excellent political work about the Third World.
A direct confrontation finally occurred between those who wanted the
Court to be a socialist theatre and those who wanted It to be a humanist
theatre and, no question, the humanlsts won.“ (Hare “Time of Unease“
142)

Even If his stint as the Royal Court’s literary manager and, for one
year. resident dramatist, was not all Hare had expected, there Is no doubt
It provided him with the much-needed Opportunity to see his work. and
the works of his colleagues. produced by a reputable company. Among
the plays Hare saw staged were Brenton‘s Revenge at the Court‘s Theatre
Upstairs. his own Slog and MW, and LQILBM. a
collaborative piece written by Hare, Brenton, Brian Clark, Trevor Griffiths,
Steven Pollakoff, Hugh Stoddart. and Snoo Wilson.

Though Hare views his first few attempts at playWrItlng as pure satire.
dialogue that seems to him written by someone else. the genesis of his
later talent can be seen In his earliest work. Besides thematic motifs.
Hare's plays share structural similarities and categories of form with many
of his contemporaries. Uke most late twentieth century dramatists to
some degree. Hare belongs to an age of writing that may be termed
post-realistic. Playwrights in this era have a full range of form and

structure to draw on, from the well-made plays of the late nineteenth and

5

early twentieth centuries. to the absurdist plays of the 19503, and various
semi-realistic and anti-realistic styles In between.

Additionally, British writers following the Second World War have
been Influenced by the heavy subsidization of their theatres, allowing
greater room for experimentation. This artlsflc freedom was further
expanded when theatrical censorship was abolished in Britain In
September of 1968. Until that time British theatre had been monitored first
by the royal Master of Revels, then by the Lord Chamberlain. to ensure
that offensive language and situations never reached the stage. Finally
most writers of this era. especially those like Hare who have crossed
successfully back and forth between both mediums. have been affected
by cinema and television. ‘

The product of these Influences-post-reallsm, subsidization, artistic
freedom, and film—has been a cross-fertilization and hybridization of form
and structure. John Russell Brown observes. “Since the 19505 there have
been no accepted patterns for dramatists to follow. Plays are larger.
longer. smaller. shorter. slower. quicker than they have ever been. They
are more silent. with whole scenes without words. and more noisy, more
theatrical. more Intellectual. more surprising: they are also less consistent
In themselves. A new writer ls seldom told that he Is breaking the rules:
some critics would say that performance Is the only reliable test for a play-
script.“ (Brown 31)

Accordingly, Hare's work does not fit easily Into the categories of
“comedy.“ “tragedy.“ “force.“ or “well-made play.“ Rather. there Is a great
deal of humor In their pathos and woe In the sllllest satire. Along with the
blending of forms. there Is a fracturing of structure that Is part episodic

and part cinematic. grown out of a distaste for living room family dramas

6

and a need for practical concerns of theatrical performance. His plays
are not divided simply Into two or three acts. but Into several disparate
scenes within each act, often covering a period of weeks, months. or
even years. None of them. with the exception of his two one-act dramas.
Mice and W. take place In a single location. Since
It Is financially and logistically almost impossible to provide full
representations of the variety of settings his plays require on the stage.
they are written with suggestive scenery or a bare stage In mind.

Hare's first major play, produced at the Hampstead Theatre Club In
April of 1970, then at the Royal Court In May of 1971. was Sign, a farcical
treatment of a year In the lives of three schoolmlstresses who run
Brackenhurst School for girls. The women band In slsterly love. argue
politics and pedagogy, and play absurd games with one another while
their school attendance dwindles from eleven girls to none. Each of the
characters Is a thinly-disguised symbol for a political faction, and their
conflict can be seen as a revolution of sorts. Roger Cornish. In an early
literary biography of Hare. notes, “There Is little linear plot development.
Instead. the play Is best seen as presenting a revolutionary conflict In
which conservative England (represented by Ann) competes with Maoist
radicalism (Joanne) for the loyalty of the common masses (EIIse).“
(Cornish 236.) Critical reaction was tepid. Stanley Kauffmann's review In
the New Republic was typical. “Slag ls unfocused and even boring.“
Kaufmann wrote. “but It Is attractively articulate and theatrically at
home...The best aspect of the play Is that Hare has taken a conventional
comedy about a public school staff and converted It lntemally Into a

macabre fantasy without much altering externals.“ (Kauffman 32)

Even more polemlcal, though less successful than Sign. was Hare's
next attempt. W. Produced at the Hampstead Theatre
In February of 1972. W derives Its name from Its pathetic
leading character. a world-weary. washed-out Labour MP who has failed
at his career and his marriage and, In a last attempt of gaining notoriety.
decides to become a flasher on Clapham Common. The play has Its
comical moments and provides an interesting variety of Incongruous
relationships, however crlflcs and audiences felt overwhelmed by
meaning and robbed of entertainment. As Michael Billington put it in his
review for The Guardian. “I'll say this for Mr. Hare: he certainly lets you
know what he dislikes. The encyclopaedic list includes parliamentary
democracy, privileged middle-class despair. unfeellng upper-class
arrogance, fake hippledom. verbal culture, lbsenlte drama. avant-garde
posturing. and George Orwell. But the problem Is that a play has to be
founded on something more than a rejection of all that has gone before
unless It Is to dwindle Into peevlshness.“ (Billington 12)

With all of Its pointed dlsgruntledness, however, W
still marks a stylistic beginning for Hare. Though the objects of the
playwright‘s scorn In this work are many. these targets are not presented
In an Impersonallzed. Brechtlan way. or In the Portable school's method of
emotionallzlng and propagandlzlng an Issue. Instead Hare employs a
man and a woman (at flmes two men and two women) whose Intimate
relaflonshlp Involves the subjects he wishes to cover. This approach, over
the next several years, becomes a plofllne mainstay of Hare's plays.

Still, the early seventies for Hare was a period of experimentation-
trial and error of dramatic form and content. Part of his testing of the

theatrical waters Involved collaboration with Howard Brenton. By the

8

time the two men combined their talents In 1973 to write W. they
had already worked together as a playwright-director team at the
Portable. the Royal Court. and several lesser-known houses In the London
area. and had collaborated, along with other Fringers, on mm.

W. which Is Midlands slang for “criminal nerve“, combined
the cumulative experience and techniques of Hare and Brenton
garnered from these beginnings In the Fringe movement. It was
performed In September of 1973 at the Nottingham Playhouse. 0 larger.
better-equipped stage than the two men had been used to using. This.
perhaps, accounts for the complexity of the production. The play requires
multiple locales and thirty parts.

BLOW chronicles the lives of three generations of the Bagley
family. beginning with the patriarch. who kills his wife during the Blitzkrieg
In order to collect on her Insurance and become a wealthy Investment
businessman. Roderick, the nephew representing the next generation.
nearly loses the family wealth and prestige when he ls jailed for bribery
and fixed building contracts, but In the end the Bagleys are secured by
Roderick's son. a nightclub owner who finds them all a new line of work:
the lucrative heroin trade.

amnegk Is an obvious Indictment against lalssez-falre capitalism.
and a vltrlollc one at that. Neither major political party escapes
unscathed from the corrupt world of the play. Uke many of Hare's
subsequent solo works. Wk manages to criticize not only the
Conservative Party detested by Leftist playwrights. but their own socialist
Labour Party as well. While the Bagleys remain political Independents.
shifting loyalties when It is most profitable. the politicians and businessmen

who help launch them on their meteoric rise to wealth and prominence
represent both ends of the political spectrum.

At least one critic. Peter Ansorge writing for Plays and Players. cited
the play as the first major Fringe production to take place before a
mainstream audience. (Ansorge 19) But how could such a stab at the
establishment succeed In a prominent commercial venue? The answer
may lie In the combination of elements Hare and Brenton were able to
achieve by combining their talents. “Brassnegk was a clear Instance of a
play which did catch on with a far wider audience than normally went to
the theatre.“ Hare told Ansorge, “It worked on the lowest common
denominator. Howard and I stopped short at exactly the point where we
began to diverge pollfically In our approach to the subject. Brgssneck Is
as far as Howard and I can go In agreement. The play ends with the
simple statement that these are “the last days of capitalism“. On how
exactly the system will be transformed. how the future would shape. we
couldn't agree.“ (Ansorge 20)

In a somewhat Shavlan way, then. the play presents problems,
suggests culprits all around. then leaves potential solutions to the
audience. The play's equal distribution of responsibility was noticed by
several critics. Writing for The Guardian. Michael Billington asserted. “What
I like about the play Is the way It lntemeaves family. civic. and national
lssues...What lifts the play above agitprop is that It Indicts left as well as
right. Labour councillors and MP3 are shown to be as susceptible as
anyone else to the creeping magnetism of power.“ (Billington)

His next play. Knuckle. brought Hare to the West End for the first
time. performing at the Comedy Theatre In March of 1974. According to

the majority of critics, It also marked several other Important “firsts“ for the

10

playwright. especially In the area of character development. The
principle character taints found In Week—aggressive capitalism and
unashamed self-promotion—are community Ills encouraged by societies
that reward: victors and survivors and scorn victims. Beginning with
Knuelgle In 1974 and continuing through many of his subsequent plays. It Is
the perspecflve of the vlctlmsHare seeks to portray. To do this, Hare
created his first “good“ women characters. Jenny Wilbur and Sarah
Delafield.

Knuekle Is a curlbus mixture of the 19503 cliche private eye film
genre and social critique. The Humphrey Bogart-like hero, Curly Delafield,
long ago turned his back on his father's “respectable“ stockbroklng trade
and defiantly became an International munitions seller. He has returned
from abroad to his Guildford home to help track down Sarah. his missing
sister, who may have been murdered. His Investigation leads him through
a series of clnematlcally flowing scenes set In typical thriller locations-
seedy barrooms. warehouses. and slums, a police station and a hospital.
He meets various despicable characters who may have had a hand In his
sister's disappearance, and one virtuous woman. Jenny. who tries to help
him piece together the puzzle. He discovers that his father's absorption In
his business and neglect of his sister's emotional state may have led to her
suicide. It Is likely she threw herself Into the ocean to escape a world too
preoccupied with profit and advancement to care about people. But
the lure of money and respectability held out by his father's profession
distract him from pursuing justice. In the end. Jenny receives a letter from
the mysterious sister who Is apparentiy still alive, searching Europe for
tolerably good company. Curly must return to his arms trade and leave

behind the untalnted Jenny.

II

On the surface the detective fiction of Knuelgle can be compared
to Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler. The dialogue Is telling:

JENNY: I was waifing for you to uncurl your Ilp.

CURLY: That's the way I keep It. Catches crumbs. (Hare 16)

But there Is more than pulp thriller to Hare's tale. “I have no snobbery
about thrillers.“ Hare has explained. “From childhood they have been the
form of literature I have understood best. and my enthusiasm Is
Indlscrimlnate...lf l have a preference at all. It Is for those who work
against the form to make It do something to which It Is not apparently
suited.“ (Hare ljlsjerLElgys 10)

And, while his hero and heroine often banter on In sarcastically
witty exchanges, they are equally prone to revealing deep thoughts
about the human condition. After a meeting with his robber baron
father, Curly tells Jenny despairingly. “I will tell you the horror of the world.
The horror of the world Is there are no excuses left. There was a time
when men who ruined other men could claim they were Ignorant, or
simple. or believed In God, or life was very hard. or we didn't know what
we were doing: but now everybody knows the tricks. the same shabby
hands have been played over and over. and men who persist In the old
ways of running their countries or their lives—those men now do It In the full
knowledge of what they're doing. So that at last greed and selfishness
and cruelty stand exposed In a great white light. Men are bad because
they want to be.“ (Hare 80)

While Knuelgle. like Brgssneek before It. Is a condemnation of ruthless
capitalism, Hare Insists the newer work Is more useful and optimistic.
'Knuekle Is an almost obscenely constructive playl“ he told one

Interviewer, “It says something about It being Impossible to live within this

12

system without doing yourself moral damage. Thats a huge claim.“ He
further adds, “The reason I don't find the play pessimistic Is because It also
contains the most admirable person I've ever drawn, this girl who Is meant
to be a good person. The whole play deals with moral values. and
concludes that there is such a thing as moral value. That seems to me
quite cheerful.“ (Trussler 1 18)

Though Brgssneek and especially Knuekle had begun to earn Hare
a name with mainstream audiences, for his next work In 1975 he returned
to the Fringe to collaborate with the Portable Theatre on an adaptation
of William S. Hlnton's first-hand account of the Chinese Revolution.
Egneheu. Why the abrupt change of pace? “I think like everybody I was
sick to death with writing about Englanduwlth writing about this decadent
corner of the globe. The excitement of Egnehen was to write about a
society and to cover a period of time In which one felt that people's lives
were being materially and spiritually Improved, In a culture that was
completely different to anything we knew about. We wanted to write a
positive work using positive material.“ (Trussler 1 19)

Essentially. Egnshen chronicles events In the lives of the peasants of
Long Bow. 0 small Chinese village. during the Revolution from 1945 to
1949. The villagers. who fOr generafions have served the landowners as
serfs In an archaic feudal system, are forced by the tide of events
succeeding the Second World War to question their relationships to each
other. to their masters, and to their system of government. As they
overthrow the system that oppressed them for so long, they are faced
with the difficult problems of finding a new method of governing

themselves to replace It. For the people of Long Bow, and the rest of

13

China. Communism Is the answer—a redistribution of wealth In a more
equitable manner.

The evolution of Eggshell was unlike that of any other play Hare
had written. Taking his original Inspiration from Hlnton's book. the
playwright then composed his own version of the events, adapting them
for European audiences and placing his own emphasis on the politics of
history. Then the play was revised after meetings with Hinton and
workshops with the Portable Theatre. In a discussion after a revival
performance of the play In 1980. Hare disclosed. “We originally did five
weeks' workshop on the six hundred pages (of Hlnton's book). trying all
sorts of different approaches to this apparently Intractable material. Just
In sheer stage-time the book was enormous. but also the problems of
presentation seemed to us lnsuperable. So we tried various kinds of
slogan theatre, various ways of telescoping the material. various arts of
story-telling, various exercises to do with how to tell the essence of a story
In the shortest possible tlme...The way the play emerged was finally fixed
first of all by the two directors and me deciding a scenario and then by
me deciding which of the many plays Inside Hlnton‘s book I was going to
write. And the play fiqnehen Is very different from the book Fanshen: both
Its aims and the play's selection from the book, Its route through the book.
make It a very different kind of project. It was a personal response to
certain themes Inside the book. notably the questions how does any
democracy know It’s a good democracy. how do the led look after the
leadership, how do the ruled rule the rulers?“ (Hare “After Eggshen“ 297-
298)

Though the lmportant themes Hare pointed out are recurrent ones

In his work, Eggsheu represents a departure In style. a return to earlier

14

methods of production. Including bare staging and Brechtian techniques.
With the many locales offered by the play and the large number of
characters (played by actors doubling and tripling parts) compounded
by the difficulties of mounting the show to tour the provinces. fenehen the
play had to employ a highly symbolic style of staging. Representational
scenery. narration. and painted signs solved most of the play's visual
challenges.

Still, there was danger of this sort of approach contradicting some
of Hare's beliefs about political theatre. In a lecture at Cambridge in
1978. Hare told his audience. “Why do we have to endure the demeaning
repetiflon of slogans which are seen not as transitional aids to
understanding. but as ultimate solutions to men's problems? Why the
Insulting Inslstence In so much political theatre that a few gimcrack
mottoes of the left will sort out the deep problems of reaction In modern
England? Why the urge to caricature? Why the deadly stiffness of limb?
Brecht uncolls the great sleeping length of his mind to give us In
everything but the greatest of his wrlfing exactly the Impression. the
godllke feeling that the quesfions have been answered before the play
has begun.“ (Hare Lleklngfltler 63)

Whether Hare and Portable Theatre avoided all of these potential
hazards of political theatre Is debatable. Writing for the London Times
after the play's premiere performance, Irving Wardle said. “What holds the
attention and banishes any sense of propaganda Is the spartan clarity of
the story-telling. No actor plays less than three parts. but with simple
costume changes and facial transformation, there Is never any doubt of
who Is who. They come forward at the beginning and announce their

names and what they possess. Their following scenes are established with

15

a handful of beautifully exact props. There Is, of course. no central figure:
and the emphasis goes exclusively to events and opinions.“ (Wardle)

Other critics agreed. One even went so far as to say, “Eqnehen,
written with Joint Stock was one of the classic achievments of political
theatre.“ (ltzln 330) In Its various lncarnatlons. however, first as a bare
bones touring production. then a BBC made for television movie, and
then In revivals In New York and London In the early 19805, Egneheu has
received less glowing praise. Commenting on the New York SoHo Rep
production of 1983. John Simon wrote, “There Is minimal plot In the
conventional sense. but the social lnlquifies of China do have their
dramafic aspect even ln—especlally ln—slmple telling. and, In the
unemofionally Brechflan style, Haredoes accomplish a thing or two. But
the dramaflc effect of town meetings. trials. redistributions and re-
redlstrlbufions of wealth does pail after a while. The failure of the village
Communists to resist the bourgeois temptations once In power: the
coming of a work team to straighten out the village. and their falling, In
turn. Into error: the falllblllty of the odd tap~level funcfionary evennall this
becomes, finally. schematic and predictable, as are the humble and
patient ways with which. through mutual and self-criticism, all gets lroned
out In the end—or so we are led to believe.“ (Simon 76-77)

After Fanshen Hare wrote what he has admitted was his only clearly
autobiographical piece of work. Ieethflmlles. Meant as a sort of swan
song for the 1960s,I_ee1n_“n'_Smlles takes place In 1969 during the May Ball
at Jesus College, Cambridge. Combining drama and music, the play Is
about a declining counter-culture rock band playing an unwanted

performance at one of England's most reactionary Institutions.

16

The play's setting and characters are things Hare experienced first
hand during his own school days. “I think It's so boring and dishonest when
writers dress up their own experience,“ Hare said In an Interview just prior
to the play's opening. “They think that by changing a few details they
distance themselves...So I thought. If you were going to write about
something you'd experienced. It was much better to be honest and not
change any of the crlfical details. Like I did go to Jesus College.
Cambridge, and there were rock groups visiting at the time. Everything
on the surface ls documentarlly accurate.“ (McFerran 15)

True to Hare's memory of the time. neither the band nor the
students at the university are portrayed In a particularly flattering way.

The musicians are all worn thin fromllves of excess. Their lead singer.
Maggie, Is a promiscuous. substance abusing alcoholic who Is taken to jail
at the end of the play for drug possession. Peyote. the bass guitarist. Is to
blame for her arrest since he hid the drugs In her bag. Arthur. the group's
songwriter. was educated at Cambridge and Is enjoying the opportunity
to spit In the face of his establishment past. and the band's manager,
Saraffian, meets the group on the road with the Intention of closing down
the whole operation since they are no longer profitable for him.

Besides being a portrait of youth culture In the sixties, the play takes
on added meaning seen In the context of class conscious England. Hare
explains. “The rock groups were fantastically aggressive and they hated
having to play those dates. and they were extremely rude to the
audience, and by and large their audiences disliked them very much too.
It was an extraordinary clash of two worlds: these May balls with people

dressed up and performing a complete parody of life that was over

17

many. many years ago, and Into that crashed these rock bands. like
travelling trouble on the move.“ (McFerran 15) '

Much of the dialogue of the play reflects this class conflict. Neither
side seems to understand the lifestyle of the other. nor does anyone seem
prepared to make the attempt. Arthur's distaste for university life Is
summed up In his assessment of the undergraduates as “Rich complacent
self-loving self-regarding self-righteous phoney half-baked politically
Immature neurofic evil-minded little shits,“ and In his categorization of
school officials and . by extension. all authority figures. as tyrants who
“Invent a few rules that don't mean anything so that you can ruin your
health trying to change them. Then overnight they re-draft them
because they didn't really matter ln‘the first place. One day It's a
revolution to say fuck on the bus. Next day It's the only way to get a
ticket. That's how the system works.“ (Hare Leelmnfimlles 22) e

The play ends with a song from Maggie called “Last Orders,“ In
which the passengers aboard the doomed SS. Titanic are encouraged to
place their last calls for drinks and dance the last number of the evening
while their vessel sinks beneath them. This Is seemingly Hare's way of
expressing the feelings of the youths of the era who felt they had little
control over events they were Involved In. ’

Reaction to Ieetn_“n'_Smlles was mainly poslfive with a few
reservations. In his review for Ihefiugrflen, Michael Billington wrote. “As a
piece of drama. It lacks the cohesiveness and Inner rhythm of his last
original work, Knuckle: but as a piece of theatre It Is abundantly alive and
should go straight to the heart of a generafion hovering uneasily
between youth and early middle age.“ (Billington) In his piece for The
Obsemer. Robert Cushman said, “Mr. Hare has a dashing way with one-

18

liners and a rarer gift for building a gag over a period...The band are apt
to remark caustlcally that (Maggie's depression) Is no more than a pose
that has got Into the bone. and Mr. Hare seems three-quarters Inclined to
agree with them. Alternately crying up Maggie's anguish and laughing It
down, he ends up with what he probably most wants to avoid:
sentimentality.“ (Cushman)

The playwright's own Insight Into this facet of his writing-genuine
feeling versus histrlonlc sentimentality—ls extremely Important to an
understanding not only of his work to this point. but to all that follows. Of
Maggie's predicament Hare said. “In W a girl chooses to go
to prison because It will give her an experience of suffering which Is
bound In her eyes to be more worthwhile than the life she could lead
outside: not one English critic could bring himself to mention this central
event In the play. Its plausibility, Its Implications. It was beyond their scope
to engage with such an Idea.“ (Hare Ucklncfilfler 68)

To Hare. Maggie's willingness to be Incarcerated, the eagerness
with which she Invites separation from the free world. Is not an Individual
abnormality. but a societal Ill. Her community has somehow not provided
her what she needs to lead a normal. sane life and she is In search of
some sort of balm. What has emerged. then. from both knuckle and
Teetn_“n“_§mlle§, two very different plays. Is a recognizable character type:
a woman who Is essentially good. but who. because of environmental
forces. ls driven to actions of despair. For Sarah Delafield this meant f
staging her own murder In order to flee her family and friends and find a
new life. Maggie chose music and mind-altering substances then. when

these failed. elected to be Imprisoned. kept away from the world.

19

In each of these Instances there Is an Indictment. sometimes
obvious. sometimes Implied. against both the Immediate tormentors who
drove these women to their desperate actions. and against the larger
community-Guildford. Cambridge, London. or all of England. It Is a
combination of elements Hare brought together most successfully In his
next play. Elentx. .

Between Teeth;n'_§mlles and Elenjy Hare had the opportunity to
work on a television play for the BBC. Ucklngfllfler. Set at the height of
the Second World War, l.lcklng_l:ll1|e[ Is about a romance formed between
a man and a woman working fora propaganda unit of the British
government to undermine German morale. Not particularly well
received. the film nonetheless helped focus the playwrights attention on
an era which. he has admitted. he has always been fascinated with. It
also allowed him the opportunity to join other contemporary British writers
In pondering his countrymen's reactions to the war.

Elenly premiered only a few months after Ucklncfiltler was aired. It
combines ruminations on the war. found In the film. with the plight of
desperate characters. like those In Knuckle and Teetncjmllee. and
Incisive social commentary. The plot revolves around a single central
character. Susan Traherne. who as a teenager worked for British
Intelligence In occupied France during the Second World War. The play
begins In England In 1962, Susan's present life of unfulfilled expectations
and relationships gone awry. then moves back In time to the wartime
France of 1943. when her world was still young and hopeful and full of
excitement.

In the earliest scenes Susan aids a British agent who has just

parachuted Into St. Benoit on a reconnaissance mission. Her youthful

20

energy ls unflagging—she Is brave. quick-thinking. and passionate-a bold
contrast to the cynical. withdrawn person she becomes later In life.
Thinklng she has found someone to confide In. Susan reaches out
tentatively for compassion from the mysterious agent (Identifies were kept
In the strictest confidence). For a moment these strangers In a strange
land seem to connect. and this fleeting bond leads Susan to an obsession
with the romance of the period she cannot shake when the war ends.
Consequently. she continues to dwell In the past.

Subsequent scenes depict Susan In a string of poor relationships.
trylng desperately to find a tolerable niche In life. Two years after the war
she takes a holiday abroad with a married wartime colleague In the
hopes of recapturing some hInt of her former happiness. When her beau
unexpectedly dies on her in Brussels she becomes attached to the
Foreign Office attache who helps her arrange his funeral. This odd
beginning turns Into a shaky marriage and constant quarrels over the
depths of Susan's suffering and her husband's Inability to understand her.

As the events of the play progress back toward I962 Susan
becomes more and more unable to cope with her mundane life as the
wife of a government official. Just as her husband ls preparing to commit
her to an asylum to prevent a serious breakdown she leaves hIm and Is
contacted by the agent she met in France nineteen years before. After
a Iiason In a shoddy hotel room during which they both admit the
desolation and disappointment of their lives since the war. they each go
their separate ways. alone. ‘

The final scene of the play Is a return to France In August of I944.
Just after the liberation by the Allies. Susan meets a French farmer on a

sunny hillside and they discuss optimistically the future In such a fortunate

21

world. The last Ironic words of the play. perhaps the most easily
recognized of any of Hare's dialogue. are Susan's. With hope and
excitement In her voice she tells the farmer. “My friend. There will be days
and days and days like this.” (Hare Elem 87)

Elem! Is meant to operate on two levels: the lnfimate. personal
level of Susan and those that surround her. and the larger. more
complicated level of Brlfish society during and after the war. Susan Is a
microcosm of her country and her experiences reflect those of many
Britons in the first years of peace. Hare commented. “Elem: ls Inspired by
a belief that people literally died In vain. That the upsurge of radical
feeling was a genuine outcome of their experiences and not an
accident. that the material and emotional plenty of that last period of
affluence was wasted. and that the British have drawn a mantle of lies
and coldness over the war. We are afraid to show our emoflons.‘ (Grant
“Peace and Plenty' 15)

For Hare. Eleni! marked the end of one era of his career as a
playwright and the beginning of another. Stylistically the play was a
departure from what had gone before. While much of his early Fringe
work involved overt pollfical broadsides. in film he found a more subtle
approach. characterized less by class wars and group struggles and more
by the internal conflict of the play's female protagonist. This dId not mean
he was abandoning his position as social commentator. merely that he
was taking a different approach. At the time he said. "A play is a
performance. So If a play Is to be a weapon In the class struggle. then
the weapon Is not going to be the things you are saying: It is the
Interaction of what you are saying and what the audience Is thinking.

The play Is In the alr.‘ (Hare “The Play Is In the Alr' 30)

22

Furthermore. as mentioned earlier. the play's central figure. Susan
Traherne. is the first full embodiment of the Hare heroine. There exists an
easily discernible evolution of the women in Hare's plays from the near
allegorical girls' school teachers In Slgg. Ann. Joanne. and Elise. to the
playwright‘s first attempts at sympathetic treatment of women In Knuckle
and M. Sarah Delafield (who never actually appears on the
stage). Jenny. and Maggie. to Elena's tortured soul. Susan. The result is a
unique, Intelligent. sympathetic character with a full range of emotions
and experiences: one that audiences may pity. yet still criticize for her
actions. For Hare. the nebulous quality of the character was Important. In
an Introduction to the printed text of the play he wrote. 'I planned a play
In twelve scenes. in which there would be twelve dramatic actions. each
of these actions Is Intended to be ambiguous. and It is up to the audience
to decide what they feel about each event. For example. in Scene
Three. there will be some who feel that Susan does the kindest possible
thing in sparing her lover's wife the knowledge of the circumstances of his
death: but others may feel that the manner In which she disposes of the
corpse is a little heartless. Again. In Scene Four you may feel that the way
she gets rid of her boyfriend is stylish. and almost exemplary In its lack of
hurtfulness: or you may feel It Is crude and dishonest. This ambiguity ls
central to the idea of the play. The audience ls asked to make Its own
mind up about each of the actions. In the act of judging. the audience
learns something about Its own values. It is therefore important that a
balance of sympathy ls maintained throughout the evening. and that the
actress playing Susan puts the case for her as strongly as she can. The

case against her makes itself. or ls made by the other characters" (Hare

Elem 87-88)

23

The heroine appears in various guises quite often In Hare‘s plays

after Elem. Wetnerbx (a screenplay). IheBamLNice and Wrecked
E995 (complementary one acts). WM. and males: (a

screenplay) all have such characters. In each instance they are fully
recognizable human beings whose actions Invite thought and
questioning. not immediate judgement. He often uses these figures to
achieve a balance of two elements that become a hallmark of his work:
the Juxtaposltlon of public and private lives to simultaneously present
dramatic interpersonal conflict and relevant social analysis and criticism.

The most Important achievement of Elem. though. was a measure
of popular success Hare had not attained before. It was the first of his
plays to open at the Royal National Theatre. where It began a
relationship with Britain's preeminent subsidized theatre that confinues to
the present day. Every play Hare has produced since has appeared at
the National. and all but one have opened on one of the theatre's three
stages. The play made It across the Aflantic. first to Washington's Arena
Theatre. then to the New York Shakespeare Festival. becoming the first of
Hare's plays to receive a major New York production. and it was
eventually turned Into a film starring Meryl Streep.

By the beginning of the 19803. then. after more than a decade of
playwrighting. collaboration. and directing. David Hare had developed
an approach to his work that would distinguish his plays well Into the '905
and help establish him as Britain‘s playwright of popular dissent.
Characteristically his plays are about the private and public lives of a few
Individuals. whose lntemal and external conflicts are meant to create
good drama while disclosing facets of British life Hare finds distasteful.

They very often contain a strong female protagonist whose ambiguous

24

behavior may lead to sympathy or contempt. and they are infused with a
sense of British history that doesn't glorify the past. but nostalgically views It
as an Imperfect model for the future.

The final catalyst for his wrifing since the early eighties. which Hare
and other liberal-minded. socially conscious artists would have to wait
only a few more years after the producfion of Eleniy to discover. was the
election In 1979 of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative
Party. Perhaps more than any other single person or event. the Thatcher
Government would Influence not only Hare's work. but that of nearly

every playwright In Britain for years to come.

25

A Map of the World

Magma. finished In I982. followed a two year period In
which David Hare neither wrote nor produced any new work. He had
recognized a trend In his writing and wanted to reinvigorate It before
moving on. 'I had spent a lot of years writing about the decline of
England.“ he said. 'It was a genre. After Plenty. In I978. I felt that I had
said what I wanted to say on that. I was concerned that I should not
make a career of saying the same things over again. So for a while I said
nothing. At the time I thought I was finished. I became convinced that I
would never have a play on agaln.‘ (Lewis 8)

Hare's temporary hiatus was relieved. however. when he was
approached to write a new work for an Australian arts festival. As he
explains. "I had been asked by JIm ShaMan to contribute something to
the I982 Adelaide Festival. and Implicit In his Invitation was the hope that I
might be moved to write about Australia. He even gave me a title-The
Dead Heart. But my exploratory trip. although highly enjoyable. did not
get me writing. On the way back my plane landed in Bombay. and...l
decided to go Into town fora few days. As soon as I walked Into my
hotel. I knew I had found my setfing.‘ (Hare 'lntroductlon to the Asian
Plays' xlil)

Hls setfing turned out to be Bombay Itself. though In context It could
as easily have been Dhaka. Kathmandu. Mogadishu. Managua. or a host
of other destitute but ambitious third world capitals. The play Hare found
the Inspiration to write. AW. Is a many-faceted work that

explores Western perceptions of third world crises. the nature and role of

26

art and the artist. and the complicated throes of sexual politics. Since it
was begun when Margaret Thatcher was relatively new to office. there
are no direct discernible critiques of her admlnlstrafion In the play. but
there Is certainly the ongoing disgruntledness and dlssafisfaction with
Britain's leading Right-wing faction.

The two most notable aspects of AMQQQLIDQMLQUQ are Its
thematic content and structure. Uke nearly all of Hare's plays it Is
episodic. divided Into a series of scenes that span an extended period of
time. The way the playwright manipulates time. however. Is Intriguing.

The plot. as most crlfics were quick to point out. Is awkward and a
mere vehicle for the debates It contains. The play Involves two men who
meet at a UNESCO conference on world poverty In Bombay. Stephen
Andrews Is a journalist for a small left-wing magazine In London. He
explains. 'Mosliy It's reviews. And domestic politics. But I'm the youngest.
so my brief Is the world.‘ (Hare Aslgnflgys 168) This particular assignment
has brought him face to face with a novelist whose work Stephen knows
and detests. Victor Mehta Is an Indian expatriate living In England who
makes his living writing political satire—more particularly. harshly critical
books about developing naflons. He is attending the conference to
present a speech about hisresearch and wrlflng.

The two men are diametrically opposed. near extreme ends of Left
and Right pollfical Ideologies. It is likely their relationship would have
ended after a few cross words In the lobby of the conference's hotel
were It not for Peggy Whltton. an American actress who has gained their
affection. Through Peggy. Mehta and Stephen find an arena In which to

battle over their respective Ideas.

27

When Mehta Is approached by the UNESCO conference organizers
and asked to preface his speech with a short prepared statement
explaining the Imaginative nature of fiction. so as not to offend some of
the smaller countries he has written about. the novelist refuses on
principle. The conference chairman. a Swede named Martinson. asks
Mehta to tell his audience that 'FIctlon. by Its very nature. must always be
different from fact. so in a way a man who stands before you as a writer
of fiction Is already half-way towards admitting that a great deal of what
he makes up and invents Is as much with an eye to entertainment as It Is
to presenting literal historical truth." (Hare Aslanflaxs 187)

To Mehta. such capltulaiion would compromise his artistic integrity
and. In his mind. the facts In the ficflon he has written. As the argument
over this decorous procedure Intensifies. Stephen steps forward as the
author of the contested disclaimer. To him. such an admission by Mehta
would not harm his standing as a novelist and would allow the more
Important work of the conference on poverty to continue without the
added pressure of ill feelings. Mehta's presence and presentation at the
conference Is Important to many of the participants. but so are the
dignity and cooperation of all the member countries. On an adventurous
Iark. Peggy offers herself. for the night. to whichever man proves his view
to be correct.

In the debate that follows both men argue passionately and
persuasively-It ls Hare at his Shavian best. raising points and counterpoints
to defend both sides-though In the end It Is clear the playwright means
for Stephen to emerge the winner. Still. the younger Idealist bows out of
his prize. the sought after Peggy. and chooses to leave the conference

behind. In a seeming stroke of ill-fated deus ex machina. Stephen Is killed

28

in a train crash on the way home. uniting all of the major characters of
the play who. whether they agreed with him or not. have come to
respect him.

This Is the primary plot of W. To further confuse
matters. however. Hare has added a secondary storyline that affects the
way an audience perceives the characters. themes. and actions at the
Bombay conference. About twenty minutes into the play. just after
Stephen and Mehta have met for the first time and fallen out over a
dinner engagement with Peggy. the realistic scene onstage suddenly
fragments as a director yells 'Cutl'. cameras roll Into place. bright lights
Illuminate the set and a film crew suddenly floods the stage. In the next
few moments It Is discovered that what has actually been happening Is
the filming of a movie of the events In India. which took place several
years before and were subsequenfly turned into a novel by Mehta. as an
homage to his adversary. Stephen.

For the rest of the play scenes alternate between the cinematic
”reality“ of historic events and the present day lives of the actors In the film
and the actual participants In the events. Peggy Is at hand to advise the
director. and Mehta shows up with the intention of cancelling production
since It doesn't adhere to his version of the story.

On the surface the approach seems Pirandelllan. a la Slx
W. The difference here Is that Hare uses
the fluctuating reality style not to confuse the audience Into wondering
what is real and what ls theatrical. but rather to give viewers a clear Idea
of how events are fragmented in memory and Interpreted differently by
different people. especially when they become fictionalized for mass

consumption vla film or text.

29

Primary emphasis In both time frames. however. Is on the arguments
presented at the UNESCO conference. The bulk of the play-withln-a-
movie. all of the first act and a good part of the second. Is preparation for
the final encounter between Mehta and Stephen. Each man wears his
beliefs on his sleeve and the Impending confrontation Is obvious. In an
early conversation with Elaine. a fellow journalist. Stephen emerges as the
young idealist type who. when lacking genuine empathy. grapes very
hard for stirrings of pity. Of the sltuaflon of the poor In Bombay he says. 'It
makes you so Ill-tempered. You think you'll go for a stroll. 'I wouldn't leave
the hotel If I were you. slr.‘ they say. 'The monsoon ls comlng.‘ With a
great grin appearing on their faces as if the thought of It just suited them
fine. ‘Ah. good. the monsoon.‘ And you caught In It the best of all. I
suppose It's the only revenge the poor have. that their land Is
unlnhabltable by anyone but themselves. That we can't drink their water.
or eat their food. or walk In their streets without getfing mobbed. or
endure their weather. or even. In fact. if we are truthful. contemplate their
lives.‘ (Hare ASIQDHQXS I67)

Mehta. on the other hand. has no desire to Identify and sympathize
with the underprlveleged In his native India. Just off the plane. he
succeeds where Stephen and Elaine failed-getting bar service In the
hotel lobby. Showing either an extremely discriminating palate or a
polished genteel facade. he asks for Poullly Fulsse white wine. Is told the
bar stocks only Poullly Fume. and opts for champagne Instead. When It
arrives he deems It undrlnkable and passes It along to Stephen and

Elaine.

30

The timbre of his egotlsm Is Immediately apparent In the way he
rises to Stephen's bolt. The younger man goads Mehta about his previous
work. Including an unflattering piece written about joumallsts called The
Vermin Class. and fishes fora preview of hIs remarks to the conference.
Stephen doesn't agree with the novellst's positions on world governments
and would like a frank discussion about them. Instead. Mehta responds
fiippantly with remarks like. 'Of the Chinese leadership the only one I was
able to bring myself to admire wholeheartedly was Chou En-Ial...Because
he alone among the leaders had the Iron self-control not to use his
position to publish his own poetry. Chairman Mao. unhappily. not so.“
Carrying the joke even further he adds he cannot admlre Mao because
"LIke so many senior statesmen he ruined his credibility by marrying an
actress. And what an actressl Madame Mao even claims that she was
born beautiful but that In order to ldenflfy more closely with the majority
of her people. she has managed to will herself ugly. So that even the
hideous awfulness of her face Is to be marked down as a revolutionary
achievementl' (Hare ASImEIQMS 169)

The lightness with which Mehta treats world figures and events
contrasts starkly with Stephen's seriousness. raising an Issue that Is present
for the rest of the play: the experience and wisdom of the old versus the
faith and energy of the young. For Mehta. It Is a dlstlncflon that Informs
not only the lives of Individuals. but of entire nations. He tells his new
acquaintances. "AII old civilizations are superior to younger ones...They
are less subject to crazes. In younger countries there Is no culture. The
civilization Is shallow. Nothing takes root. Even now gangs of crazy youths
are sweeping through the streets of Sydney and New York pretending

they are homosexual. But do you think they are homosexual really? Of

3]

course not. It Is the merest fashion. City fashion. that Is all. In the old
countries. In Paris. In London. when there Is a stupid craze. only one
person In fifty Is affected. but In the young countries there Is nothing to
hold people back...A worthwhile civilization takes two thousand years to
grow.“ (Hare ASLQDJZIQXS I70)

Stephen. with all the fervency of his age. declares this an
unmanageable outlook. He asks Mehta. 'Do you say to those young
countries. to so many countries represented In that room. countries with
no traditions. no Institutions. no civilization as we know It. no old ways of
ordering themselves—what do you say? 'Sorry. things will take tlme...lt may
be bloody In your country at first. but this Is an Inevitable phase In a young
civilization. You must endure dictatorship and bloodshed and
barbarlty...because you are young. There Is nothing we can do for you.”
(Hare Aslanflaxs I7 I) ‘

It Is not long before Stephen and Mehta's argument becomes more
personal. each man attacking not only the other's belief system. but his
motives as well. Mehta tells the younger journalist. “So It Is with you. you
young men of Europe. You make us all uncomfortable by saying 'The
poorl The poorl' But the poor are a convenience only. a prop you use to
express your own discontent. * Which Is with yourself. I have known many
men like you." (Hare ASIQnflm I72) He adds that Stephen and others
like him are only Interested In events with political consequences. thereby
limiting themselves. He labels Stephen a follower of Marx and proceeds
to debunk that group. calling it. ”The Inflammation of the Intellect among
the young. the distortion. Every Idea crammed through this tiny Ideology.

everything crammed through the eye of Marxism. Tsshl What nonsense It

32

all is. Socialism. a luxury of the wealthy. To the poor. a suicidal creed.“
(Hare Am I 73)

Hare. an admitted socialist and active Labourlte In Britain. has
provided Mehta with some scathingly effective remarks against the
playwright's chosen beliefs. He has also. however. given Stephen ample
leverage to defend himself. Though Hare Intentionally set out to write a
play that wasn't about England. he could not resist a few barbed
comments about the nature of his homeland. Stephen accuses Mehta
of being hypocritical. saying. “How the right wing always appropriates
good manners. Yes? They always have that. Form and decorum. A
permanent excuse for not adresslng themselves to what people actually
say. because they can always turn their heads aWay If a sentence Is not
correctly formulated. You're like all those people who think that If you say
'Excuse me' at one end of a sentence and 'Thank you' at the other. you
are entitled to be as rude as you like In between. English mannersl“

When Mehta claims his Indian heritage as the source of his
etiquette. Stephen drives the knife In deeper. telling the novelist. “How
appropriatel That you. an Indian by birth. should be left desperately
mimicking the manners of a country that died—died In Its heart—over
thirty. forty. fifty years ago. This sad. pathetic Imitaflon. this room. this
conference. these servants.-that all this goes on. like a ghost ship without
passengers. The India of the rIchl Howl despise Itl' (Hare Aslgnflgys I75-
75)

In curslng so vehemently the "India of the rich“ Stephen is
Impllcatlng both Mehta's homeland and his own nafive England In the
system of colonialism that Hare and other primarily Leftist thinkers have

been trying to come to terms with for the past several decades. Since

33

the dismantling of England‘s enormous colonial holdings. Including India.
In the first part of the twentieth century. the clfizens of Britain and Its
Commonwealth countries have had to drastically change the way they
view themselves domestically and globally. Often they find they are torn
In two directions. like Stephen and Mehta. Stephen deplores the colonial
system and what It has left behind—countries with Infantile. weak
governments and populations divided starkly Into masses of Uneducated
poor led by a few wealthy ellfists—whlle Mehta. the product of one of
these countries. finds the Englishness of his upper class heritage a cIviIlzIng
Influence.

It Is at this point that Hare Interrupts the action In India to reveal the
scene as a movie facade. Mehta announces his lntenfion to dine with
Peggy Whltton and Stephen claims he has already engaged her
company. She is brought In. Stephen beComes jealous and storms off
with Peggy chasing hlm. leaving Mehta and Elaine alone. The dialogue
changes drastically. becoming more dramatic. more "cinematic." Elaine.
like some 19403 romanfic movie heroine. tells Mehta. "What do you think
the purpose of life Is? We could be giants. Victor. I swear It‘s the truth.
This mess. this stew of unhappiness...There's something Inside every human
being. Something suppressed. It‘s got to come out. I tell you. Victor: cut
through to It. My friend. I beg you: let that something out." And suddenly
the director yells. "Cutl All right. yes. print that." (Hare AsmElgys I78)

Elaine's pleas have no relation to what has been happening and
are obviously the first of several stabs at the movie Industry. The transition
from acceptably real dialogue to histrlonlc cliches was abrupt and

signaled by the action passing from stage to screen—Hare's way of

34

asserting that movies are less artlsfic and Intellectual and more popular
and emotional.

Immediately on hand Is the real life Peggy Whltton. who scolds
Angells. the director of the film. for not adhering to the actual events as
Mehta recorded them In his book. Angelis' reply is cynical and truthful.
'This Is not my forte." he tells Peggy. "I am an action director. Cars. fast
movement. guns. For motives of tax. my employers are making a more
cultural movie. I am fold. In order to lose money..for reasons It Is quite
beyond me to understand. Leasebacks. kickbacks. greenbacks. I
understand nothing. It was not even meant to be my assignment. Three
weeks ago I was about to shoot Puiveriser 3. But suddenly Instead my
business Is nuance." (Hare ASIQDEIQXS I79)

The two briefly banter the problems the film Is having before Hare
contrives a way for Angells to leave the stage and Peggy to directly
address the audience. preparing them for a return to the events In India.
In the course of only a few pages. perhaps five minutes In producfion.
Hare has stylistically tripped through three separate. recognizable levels of
stage Interaction. The first Is the "acting" of the play Hare wrote. about
two men arguing Ideology In Bombay. represented by the Interaction
between Stephen. Mehta. Elaine. and Peggy. The second is the
ostensibly "real" action of the movie crew working to reproduce these
events on film. The older Peggy. Angells and his workers are part of this
level. Finally. there Is Peggy‘s direct address that draws the audience
back Into the action of the past.

These three different levels appear In rotation throughout the rest of
the play and suggest parallels between the two different time frames. In

the past. Mehta is a novelist whose work Is branded fact by some and

35

ficflon by others. sometimes taken too seriously and sometimes
misinterpreted and misrepresented. In the present this struggle between
truth and fiction continues as his words are distorted Into another medium.
film. for the purpose of mass consumption. As events unfold In the
Bombay scenes. their consequences In the future are slowly seen when

the action centers on the movie company.

After Peggy's translfional speech the plot returns to Mehta and
Stephen In India. The novelist has just been approached about making
the disclaimer for his audience and Is enraged. There Is an argument
between Mehta and Marflnson. head of a Swedish delegation and
organizer of the conference. with Peggy attempting to act as mediator.

Martinson attempts to reason with the author. polnfing out that
while his position on editorial freedom and Individual conscience Is
undoubtedly correct. It Is not as Important as the needs of the
conference. which might be jeopardized by his refusal to accomodate
the request of partlcpafing delegates. "We do not give a toss what a
novel Is." he tells Mehta. "I think I may even say this is Scandinavia's official
position. and If a man stands up at the beginning of this afternoon's
session and lies about what a novel Is. I will just be grateful because then
there Is a better chance that aid will flow. because grain will flow.
because water will flow..."

To which Mehta responds adamantly. refusing to even consider
apologizing for or compromising his writing to what he considers
emotional blackmail. "Exploitation of our feelings of gulltl' he rages at
Martinson. "In the West we are always being asked to feel guilty. And so
we must pay a price In lies!" (Hare Afilgnflgxs 186)

36

The sltuaflon worsens when Mehta discovers Stephen wrote the
proposed statement. To the shock of the diplomats. the argument
seemingly becomes trIvIalized to a spot between two men over the
attentions of Peggy. They are momentarily brought to their senses by the
presence of M'Bengue. the Senegalese delegate. who provides the
_ perspective of a third world citizen and explains their objections to the
way Mehta and others depict them. "We take aid from the West
because we are poor." he tells the assembly. "and in everything we are
made to feel our Inferiority. The price you ask us to pay Is not money but
misrepresentation. The way the nations of the West make us pay is by
representing us continually In their organs of publicity as bunglers and
murderers and fools." He complains that the Western countries.
particularly the superpower nations. turn a blind eye to the positive
actlvifies of the underdeveloped nations-crops. dams. and educational
Innovations-and Instead choose to dwell on the negative things like wars.
famines. and acts of violence and terror.

He tells Mehta. "You distort things in your novels because It Is funny
to distort. because indeed the surface of things Is funny. If you do not
understand how that surface comes to be. If you do not look underneath.
Just as a funeral may be funny to a small boy who sees It passing In the
street and does not know the man who Is dead. So also no doubt In
Africa It Is superficially funny to see us blunderlng about. But who makes
the lakes? The rich nations." (Hare AslarlElaxs 192-93)

Though M'Bengue‘s appeal Is a tempting one. his argument will not
decide the Issue. The Senegalese has based his complaint on the pride of
the nafions Mehta chooses to satlrlze. and suggests that as the sons of

poor countries. Mehta and others who rise above their lot should not look

37

back In anger. This line of defense doesn't hold for most writers.
particularly those who lean to the left. like Hare. When the Muslim author
Salmon Rushdie was sent Into exile following death threats and a bounty
placed on his head by the Ayatollah Khomenl of Iran. none of his fellow
artists In Britain. where Rushdie chose to hide himself. recommended he
recant a word of Woes. It would demean not only Rushdie
but the craft of writing to withdraw because of people's pride.

The argument ls finally brought to a half by Mehta. who still
steadfastly refuses to compromise and stalks out of the room. At this point
the groundwork has been completed for the duel between Mehta and
Stephen that will follow. The most Important Ideas and arguments have
been raised and touched an. especially In the delegation scene. Some
of these Ideas Include: responsibilities of the writer to his craft. his reader.
and his subjects: redeeming and negative aspects of censorship: the role
of writing Itself In making and changing world events: whether all ficfion ls
distortion: and the problems of the third world. Including various responses
by the West. Each of these subjects becomes fuel for the climactic
argument in the next act.

The first act ends with Peggy's proposition~for one night she
belongs to the man who proves his point in Mehta and Stephen's debate-
.and a return to the movie set. Though her actions seem juvenllle. or at
least Irresponsible-offering herself to the winner of an argument she may
not even fully understand-she has somehow maneuvered herself Into the

position of Intermediate between Mehta and Stephen.

The second act opens with the film actors sitting around waiting to

begin shooting again. There Is an argument over a crossword puzzle and

38

the Peggy-actress tries on various dressing gowns In preparation for her
shot. The real point of the scene. however. Is to disclose that the movie Is
In jeopardy. After watching some of the filming. the real life Peggy
Whltton balked at having her life shown on the screen and returned to
Mehta to ask him to have the movie cancelled. For the time being.
though. they move on. .

After an exchange between Peggy and Mehta In his room and a
brief delay when the Peggy-actress has an emotional crisis ldenflfylng
with her part. Scene Eight. the debate between Mehta and Stephen.
begins. With more at stake than simply scoring points for verbal wit over
glasses of champagne. there Is more of a fervency to the competitors'
exchanges. and often more personal attacks are made.

Stephen begins by trying to prescribe some of the responsiblllfies of
writers. "The thirst for Ideals Is at the very heart of things." he says. "We may
say people need Ideals as they need bread. As great as the need for
bread Is the need for Ideals. The writer serves that need. He should be
happy to serve It." (Hare W 219)

Rather than answer his suggestion. Mehta deems his rivals opinions
stupidity and rails against his "peasant-like Ideas." To which Stephen
sensibly scores another point by noting the author's jealousy of other's
thoughts and other writers" work. Recognizing already that Stephen Is
more of a match than he had bargained for. Mehta decides to fight
back.

He launches Into a monologue explaining his poor childhood In
India and his hopes for a new. prosperous llfe abroad. He says he sought
"by the formulation of sentences not to escape from the reality Into which

I was born. but to set It In order. The setting of things in order. that has

39

always been my aim." In order to become educated. Mehta claims. "I
went to London. to the university there. to the country where once
medicine. education. the law had been pracflced sans parell. and found
Instead a country now full of sloth and complacency..a deceitful. Inward-
Iooklng ruling class blunderlng by Its raciallsm and stupidity into Suez."
(Hare Aslanflaxs 221)

Hare Is swinging the character of Mehta like a two—edged sword.
cutting at perceptions of underprivileged countries In one direction and
the vulgar excess of wealthy ones like England In the other. England. like
America. Germany. and other fairly prosperous countries in the West. has
seen a tremendous Influx In Immlgrafion over the past few decades. The
city of London. where Hare lives and writes. has become a cosmopolitan
stew of nearly seven million people from all parts of the world. with large
concentrations of the population hailing from Asian countries.

It Is with authority. then. that the playwright allows Mehta to
continue his story. saying. "It seems when people become prosperous.
they lose the urge to Improve themselves. Anyone who comes new to a
society. as I did. an Immigrant. has his priorities clear: to succeed In that
society. to seek practical achievement. to educate his children to the
highest level. Yet somehow once one or two generations have
established their success. their grandchildren rush the other way. to
dlsown that success. to dlsown its responsibilities. to seek by dressing as
savages and eating brown rice to descredit the very civilization their
grandfathers worked so hard to create." (Hare Aslgnflgys 220-21)

The topics Hare brings up with Mehta's Impassloned speech are
familiar ones to all the Industrialized nations mentioned above: racial

prejudice. the difficulties of emigration and starting a new life. hunger for

40

success and the jealousy and hatred of those left behind. the Impossible
lure of a community "melting pot." and the dream of the West as a land of
opportunity. They are problems especially well known to America.
England. and. more recently. Australia. where AMQLQLIhQWQflQ
debuted.

Mehta continues. criticizing the Wests behavior toward countries
like his. "Not content with fiaunting Its wealth. the West now fashionably
pretends that the materialsim that has produced this wealth Is not a good
thing. Well. at least give us a chance to find out. say the poor. For God's
sake let us practise this contempt ourselves. Instead of sending the Third
World doctors and mechanics. we now send them hippies. and Marxist
thinkers. and animal conservationists. and ecologists. and wandering fake
Zen Buddhist students. who hasten to reassure the Illiterate that theirs Is a
superior life to that of the West." (Hare Aslanflaxs 221)

He winds up his argument by refumlng to Stephen's Initial assertion
about a writer's responsibilities. Calling the United Nations Assembly that
convened the UNESCO conference In Bombay futile and wasteful. Mehta
explains. "Last year a Special Committee on the Rationalization and
Organization of the General Assembly was set up to examine the
problems of excessive documentation. If produced a report. It was two
hundred and nineteen pages long. I ask you. what fiction can there be
to compare with this absurdity? What writer could dream up this
Impossible decadence?" For his finale he prescribes the role of the writer
himself. "There Is only one thing I know. and one only: that In this universe
of ldlocy. the only thing we may rely on Is the lone voice—the lone voice
of the wrlter-who speaks only when he has something to say." (Hare
Aslgnflgxs 222) It Is Mehta's belief that "from the best lntenfions we fell

41

ourselves lies." and. like philosopher-kings to Plato. only the wit and
wisdom of the writer can lead man to salvation.

When Stephen answers. there seems to be more than a little of
Hare's own life experience embedded In his reply. While the previous day
the younger joumallst was content simply to scream his frustrations at
Mehta. he claims his experience In the past twenty-four hours has
matured him. He now feels some fondness for the Indian and tells hIm he
senses "some growing generosity from you. too. especially this evening.
You've stopped calling me Andrews. You call me Stephen. perhaps
because even If you don't agree with me. you nevertheless now
recognize me. Perhaps even as an element In yourself." (Hare Aslgnflgys
223-24)

Hare. like his creation. seems to have matured. or evolved.
slgnlfincantiy as a writer by this point In the play. While in his younger days
In the Fringe movement he was happy producing near one-sided
polemlcs. dlatrlbes In dialogue form railing against one aspect of the
establishment or another. the debate between Mehta and Stephen has
transcended the convention of straw man satire. Neither side ls being set
up and knocked down with abandon and either man might be judged
the winner.

Still. the contest Is not over. Stephen‘s final thrust Is a truth Hare and
other writers recognize. In the guise of a personal affront to Mehta.
Stephen tells him. "I am arguing that tomorrow you must go out and
denounce your own fiction. because It will be your last remaining chance
to rejoin the human race." Mehta's objectivity. Stephen claims. lsreally
separation. "Your so-called truthfulness Is nothing but the projection of

your own isolation." he tells Mehta. "and of your own despair. Because

42

you do a job which is lonely and hard. because you spend all day locked
In a room. so you project your loneliness on to the world." (Hare Align
Elgxs 224)

This Is undoubtedly Hare talking. Ten years later. In the Introduction
to his collection of interviews prepared for his trilogy of plays about Brlfish
Institutions. the playwright wrote. "Anyone of my age who has spent the
larger part of their adult life wriflng. even for the theatre. knows the
dangers of spending so much time alone. It is not just that the writer
begins to project his or her own misery and Isolation on to the world at
large and assume that other people suffer from neuroses which In fact
are the writer's alone. But also sheer Ignorance begins all too easily to
take Its tall. The world Is not as It was when we last had a proper job In It.
There Is nothing better for a writer than to go out and be rebuked by
reality." (Hare W 3)

Stephen goes on to accuse Mehta of withdrawing so far that he
can no longer take part in real events, and envyan those who do rather
than simply write about what has been done. HIs last attack Is a vitriolic
lashing at Mehta and the conservatism he represents. "Uke so many
clever men. you move steadily to the right." he tells him. "further. further.
distancing. always distancing yourself...dlsownlng your former
Ideals..attacklng those who still have those Ideals with a ferocity which Is
way out of proportion to their crime...WeIl. move to the right If you wish to.
Join the shabby crew If you want to. Go In the way people do. But at
least spare us the books. spare us the stations of the Cross. the public -
announcements. Make your move In private. do It In private. like a sexual

pervert. do It privately. Move with a mac over your knee to the rlght...but

spare those who have to watch one good man after another go down."
(Hare Aslgnflgys 226)

Stephen's last attack Is more obviously liberal and decidedly English.
References to the Right. the Stations of the Cross. and the pervert with a
"mac" on his knee place the younger man's orlglns squarely In Britain. He
leaves. however. claiming to be more world-wise. After reiterating to
Mehta that his only chance to be human Is to deliver whatever disclaimer
the delegates ask him to. Stephen bows out of the debating contest and
leaves to catch a late train away from Bombay and the UNESCO
conference.

For the denouement the action returns to the movie set. now
abandoned. The real Mehta arrives on the empty stage. meets Angells.
and tells him what an atrocity he thinks the story Is becoming on Its
journey to the screen. He explains Stephen's fate—his death In a train
accident after leaving Bombay—and the depth to which he and the
others had grown to respect the young man. Before leaving he
encounters the Stephen- and Peggy-actors and Is struck by their
resemblance to his friends. He confides to the Peggy-actress what may
be the simplest theme of the play. running through each of the other
arguments about wrlflng and responsibility. truth versus fiction. third world
problems and politics. and the antics of Industrialized nations. "This
feeling. finally. that we may change things." he tells her. "this Is at the

centre of everything we are. Lose that...lose that. lose everything." (Hare

AslamElays 236)

One of the appealing aspects of AM Is Hare's
willingness to experiment with structure and style. It seems he may owe a

44

large debt In these areas to other British playwrights. It has already been
mentioned that his approach to the arguments In the play Is distinctly
Shavian-each side Is armed with valid points and the ready wit to assert
their opinions. Within these arguments. however. participants lose control
much more readily than some of Shaw's dignified characters. and the
results are sollloqules a to John Osborne-causflc ramblings that lead
Hare's characters from one acerbic observance to the next.

In matters of structure. crlfics compared the alternating realities of

the acfion in Bombay and the filming of those events to Italian playwright

Lulgl Pirandello's WW and to Hare's

contemporary. the English playwright Tom Stoppard's waning.
Phllosophlcally the discussion does not get as complicated as Its

presentation In Pirandello's work. with characters. actors. and real human
beings all vying to prove and justify their existence. The comparison to
Ibejegflhlng Is slightly more apt. In this Stoppard work the characters
alternate between a play they are rehearsing and their real lives. which
often mirror what they do on the stage. But Mgp Is perhaps more akin to
Stoppard's mm. In which questions of the meaning of art arise In the
context of one man's (Henry Carr's) remembrances of events that may or
may not have happened that Involved he. James Joyce. Tristan Tzara.
and Vladimir Lenin.

Critical reaction to W. Its original London
production at the Natlonal's Lyttelton Theatre In 1983 and the 1985 New
York production at the Public Theatre. was mixed. English reviewers. more
familiar with Hare's work. were quicker to place Mgp within the context of
his canon and other contemporaries' plays. As Irving Wardle. writing for

the London Times. noted. "A new Hare play arouses more than ordinary

45

theatrical Interest: you go along In hope of some fresh diagnosis from the
social sick room. and maybe some authentic spark of hope. Hence.
when Hare fails to deliver the goods the critical fratemlty are apt to fall on
him with far more ferocity than they would hand out to lesser men." '
(Wardle "Wrong Way" I I)

And. Indeed. many of his countrymen were harshly crlflcal. In the
Sunday Times James Fenton took Issue with the ethics of some of Hare's
arguments. beginning with the inspiration for the play's tltie. He wrote. "A
map of the world which does not Include Utopla.‘ says Oscar Wilde In the
motto for this play. 'Is not even worth glancing at." I must say. this is not a
motto for me. It Is as bad as saying that there Is no point In life on earth
unless you believe In heaven. I don't think we should be bullied Into living
our lives according to fiction."

Fenton goes on to dispute the Ideology of Stephen. the winner of
the debate. "Oddest of all Is the fact that although the young joumallst
emerges as the hero of the piece. the gesture he Is all the time
demanding from the novelist remains one of shabby and gratuitous self-
condemnation." he asserts. "This will not do. It Is not admirable In politics to
make dishonest gestures on behalf of a good cause. and It Is not
admirable In art either." (Fenton 41)

Citing an overabundance of topical concerns. Jack linker of the
Daily Mail wrote. "There Is. It would seem. nothing Mr. Hare will stop at to
keep that vast stage alive with challenging Ideas. Unfortunately. the
ultimate effect Is stultlfylng In the extreme. Heaven knows there Is not an
Issue he raises that should not command our care and concern. yet the

manner of Its delivery renders It sfillborn on the senses. Conversations

Inflate Into long contrived speeches: wry arguments Implode Into airless
debates." (Tinker)

Others. however. were more tolerant. Benedict Nightingale. a
London crlflc who has followed Hare's development since his first plays
with the Portable Theatre. decided Map was a "work of genuine search.
struggle and discovery. and as rich as anything Hare has written to date."
(Nightingale 27) Ros Asquith In City Umlts conceded. "Untheatrlcal it may
be. but It is Intellectually engaging about issues that Tom Stoppard's Ina
Regaining (with which It Is bound. both Inform and content. to be
compared) never took past first base." (Asquith)

American critics. not yet as familiar with Hare's plays. having seen
only Plenty produced In New York. were more unconditionally accepting
of W. Laudlng him for creating intellectual art. Sylvlane
Gold In the Wall Street Journal wrote. "David Hare writes plays about
people who believe. passionately and unreservedly. In Ideasuldeals.
even-and in the somewhat antiquated notion that the way we live
should bear some resemblance to the way we think. Characters who
think don't turn up very often In today's theater. probably becasue
thinking playwrights are currently something of a rarity." (Gold 26)

In the New York Times crltlc Mel Gussow agreed that "Mr. Hare Is
interested In philosophical clrcumnavlgatlon. Led by the playwright. we
stop at various Ideological ports of call as we participate in a most
thought-provoking theatrical journey." (Gussow H3) Even conservative
reviewer Frank Rich. with whom Hare would later have a fateful public
fracas over his New York production of W. noted. "AMQQ
QLIDQJALQLIQ contains one of the few convincing. even sympathetic right-

47

wing protagonists to appear in an English play since the Suez crisis." (Rich
C23)

The American. production was not without Its detractors. however.
The most vociferous by far was Michael Feingold of the Village Voice who
declared the play. "the largest lump of bullshit and ineptitude I've ever
come across In the professional theatre." and complained that "Everyone.
from the script girl on the film set to the head of the UN conference.
behaves with the same egregious pomposlty masquerading as principle.
everyone Is popped on and off stage as suits the playwright's plan—a kind
of lrrationally splayed schemation—without even cursory regard for the
dictates of their position. or common sense. Actresses are asked to settle
diplomatic affairs. journalists conspire at position papers with foreign
dignitaries who were strangers to them the day before. directors suspend
shooting to debate the screenplay's validity with the wife of the source
material's author." (Feingold 94)

Reviewers were especially divided on the Issue of the play-withIn-a-
movie-withln-a-play structure. Wardle complained that from the time the
' non-linear scenes began to occur "I lost the play and ceased to care
either about Its subject or characters. Hare fails to distinguish between
actual flashback and film reenactment. The same actors appear as their
true and ficfional selves: and there Is no way of telling whether what we
are seeing are the events as Victor recorded them. or as perverted for
cinema audiences." (Wardle I I)

Fenton agreed. seeing this structure as a possible dodge for the
playwright. "The whole play Is placed in an Ironic and deceptive light." he
contended. "since what we actually see. or appear to see. Is the filming ‘

of the novellst's account of the Incident. So. If a speech sounds banal or

48

lmpossibly contrived. we must always wonder whether this Is the fault of
the author or the fictional scriptwrlter. and If the acting seems at times
weird. stilted or Improbable. there Is the same get-out clause." (Fenton
41)

Others saw the complex structure as an opportunity. Rich noted. "If
Mr. Hare's'Map' Is a jigsaw puzzle. that fracflonalizafion suits the content.
The play Is In part about conflicting points of vlew~about how
reacfionarles and leftists look at geopolitics. how journalists and novelists
look at events and how the West and the Third World look at each
other...WhIle he may be a man of the left. (Hare) can see (and let us see)
through other eyes." (Rich C23) And Gold observed. "The play's complex
structure lets It all just click together In your head after the piece ends.
And thats when you realize just how Ingenious Mr. Hare has been. He's
managed to get out of this one play several others: a high-toned moral
drama. and a cheap romance. and a comedy that debunks them both."
(Gold 26)

Whether they liked W or not. the comments of
many critics at this time were Important for one outstanding reason:
nearly across the board they recognized Hare as a popular playwright
with a social conscience. Hare's Interest in the well-being of his country
and the global socIo-politlcal scene could not be overlooked and the
support of his audiences could not be denied. After Its run at the
Adelaide Festival AMQDQLIDQJNQEIQ played sixty-six times In the Lyttelton
Theatre to a combined crowd of nearly 40,000. a respectable showing by
the Natlonal's accounts. Wardle declared. "(Harei has taken on himself
something of Osborne's early role as keeper of the nation's moral

conscience." (Wardle 11) Gussow claimed that "As a playwright. David

49

Hare Is a surgeon who operates on the body polific." (Gussow H3) and.
John Barber In the Daily Telegraph wrote. "The fangs of the play's social
conscience sink deep and are seen finally to have been sharpened by
the dramafist's mastery of his medium." (Barber)

This play was also Important In the trajectory of the playwright's
career for the notice It garnered abroad. While Hare had been
establishing himself as a writer of merit In England for several years. AMgp
aflheflarld claimed intemationai attention for the playwright. His
Invitation to the Australian Adelaide Festival marked his recognition by
that country. and the positive reviews In America paved the way for

future productions of his plays stateside.

Pravda

The epic scale of W was a precursor to Hare's next
work. ELQMQQ. a collaborative effort that reunited Hare with his one-time
Fringe companion Howard Brenton. Significanfly. In the three years
between producfions of the two plays. Hare wrote two films. mow
QUDQSLQI and Menu. His dabbling wlth celluloid and Brenton's
penchant for characters and stories that critics have dubbed "comic strip"
effects produced a play with an enormous cast. a variety of locations.
and a structure that seems to Imltate the clnemaflc thriller or serialized
cartoon. Ergvdg Is written In a progression of scenes that constanfly
alternate between Intimate. two to four member gatherings and large.
frantic throngs. Each one builds to either a dramatic crisis or specially
conceived stage picture.

It Is Immediately apparent. both from this structure and the
attenflon given to storytelling by the characters. that plot plays a more
substantial role In ELQALdQ than It usually does In both Hare and Brenton's
plays. While both men are capable of producing Interesting and
dramatically cohesive plots for their plays. quite often. as with Hare's A
W or Brenton's W. structure and story
are merely means of revealing the playwrights' thematic Interests. In
Ergygg. the story Itself is of themaflc Importance.

"Pravda" Is Russian for "the truth" and. while It happens to be the
name of a formerly Moscow-based. Communist—run newspaper. It Is
Instead to this definition that the playwrights wish to Ironically refer. In

essence. the play ls about truth In all Its many guises. a topic both Hare

51

and Brenton have long been fascinated with. Once. In an essay on his
brand of pollflcal drama. Hare pointed to the theatre as an Ideal tool for
ferrefing out the elusive virtue of truth. "One of the reasons for the
theatre's possible authority." he said. "and for Its recent general drift
towards polifics. Is Its unique suitability to lllustrafing an age In which men's
Ideals and men's practice bear no relation to each other. .The theatre Is
the best way of showing the gap between what Is said and what ls seen
to be done, and that Is why. ragged and gap-toothed as it Is. it has still a
for healthier potenflal than some of the other. poorer. abandoned arts."
(Hare "The Play Is in the Air" 26-27)

Brenton Is even more pragmafic In his use of theatre as a tool to
unearth the truth. He Is fond of exposing truths behind myths and
misconceptions. something often reflected by the titles of his plays alone.
EQILQLIDQADIQLQIIQ. lilIIQLDQDQQS. WW. and 339.852QO
Infinigjn are all works about historical figures or events In history that
Brenton would like his audiences to reconsider. Commenting on SQQIIQI
IDQADIQLQIZIQ. a play about Robert Falcon Scott. the famous South Pole
English explorer. Brenton said. "I'm very Interested In people who could be
called saints. perverse saints. who try to drive a straight line thorugh very
complex sltuaflons. and usually become honed down to the point of
death. Scott was one of those...Scott was not on the Ice to get to the
pole. He couldn't skate In fact—he kept tumbling over. He was there
because of his public school. his C. of E. religion and the British
Emplre...The project was ripe for breakdown." (Brenton "Underground
Explorations No. I" 16)

A collaborative work. by its nature. Is a more complicated affair

than an author's solitary writing. Adaptability and compromise can affect

52

the outcome positively or adversely. For this project. the initial Idea was
Brenton's. though. he explains. "I didn't want to tackle It alone. David was
looking fora new play for the group he and Richard Eyre are running here
(the ensemble of the Nafional Theatre). so we said "Great. Let's get
together and do It.'" (Busby 9) The two writers rented a flat in Brighton. a
London suburb. and split their time between intense creative sessions
together and their Individual work in the City. Brenton reports that they
read newspapers lncessantly and worked full days with him at the
typewriter and Hare pacing In the background. "It was all done out loud.“
he says. "It was like putting something into a furnace In a smithy and either
It breaks or actually comes out and Its sound." (Gussow "Playwright as
Provocateur" 46) Hare admits the Importance they placed on plotting
Pravda He noted. "We plan the plot very thoroughly indeed. by
argument. Then hang the dialogue on at the last possible moment. The

dialogue is the reward for all the work you do on the plot." (Busby 10)

The plot of Pravda. subtitled "A Fleet Street Comedy." concerns the
efforts of Lambert Le Roux. a millionaire South African businessman. to
monopolize the newspaper Industry on London's famous publishing
boulevard. Given South Africa's political climate In the mid-'BOs and the
world's perception of that embattled country at the time. Le Roux Is
established long before his first entrance as a villainous encroacher.
rubbing his hands and twirling his mustache at the prospect of
conquering a piece of British culture.

The play Is largely seen through the eyes of Andrew May. an
amblfious reporter for the Leicester Bystander who becomes that paper's

editor-in-chlef when it is purchased by Le Roux. With Andrew safely and

53

sanely running the Bystander according to its new owner's profiteerlng
Ideology. Le Roux moves on to purchase the Bystanders competition. the
Daily Tide. a sterling example of London's many down-market tabloids.
and the Daily Victory. which brags of being "the only newspaper with
England on Its masthead." He maintains that his acquisitions are not
meant to be used as mouthpieces for political agendas or to further
business ventures. but still Insists on strong management from the top
(himself) down.

Andrew Is promoted to Editor of the Victory. a better-selling
newspaper. and even wins an edItor-of-the—year award from his
colleagues. His fortunes change at the beginning of the second act.
however. when his wife Rebecca appears with a Ministry of Defence
document leaked to her through a friend. The document Is proof of a
plutonium leak cover-up and Indicts the Prime Minister and a good part of
his cabinet. Recapturlng some of the journalistic idealism and fervor he
has lost working for the manipulative Le Roux. Andrew Is about to stop the
evening's presses and print the story page one when Le Roux arrives and
fires him on the spot for Intentionally endangering the esteem and
profitability of his publishing asset.

No longer In charge of a major national newspaper but still longing
for popular recognition and a voice In print. Andrew joins forces with
others Le Roux has wronged In his quest for communications dominance.
Together they outbid the media magnate for ownership of another
paper. the Usurper. and begin publishing stories of Le Roux's personal life.
Including allegations of murder and thievery. which they hope will
Irrevocably destroy his reputation and win him financially. at least In

England.

The stories prove to be lies. planted by Le Roux himself. and he sues
them for libel. The cycle of the play. and Andrew's career. ends with the
once civic-minded and ethical journalist placed back In charge of the

Victory. ready now to kow tow to Le Roux's demands.

If there were any doubts about Hare's emergence as a popular
playwright of dissent. they were vanquished with the Natlonal's
production of Mg. Fora time the play even served to focus more
widespread attention on Howard Brenton. whose work, with a few
exceptions. stlll tended to be less mainstream than Hare's and often
relegated to experimental theatres. A large part of their success must be
attributed to the timeliness and toplcallty of their subject.

It was an attempt not just to lampoon Britain's newspaper Industry.
but an entire culture of avarice. acquisition and self-Interest that the
playwrights believed had flourished during the Thatcher years. It was, and
remains. very much a play of the 19805. and its social criticism Is as
recognizable to American liberals who remember the Reagan years as it
was wickedly exciting for audiences halfway through the Thatcher era.
Hare notes. "The play says that If you were a visitor from Mars and came
here and read the Mail. the Express. the Telegraph. The Times. the Sunday
Times and Sunday Telegraph. the Sun and most of the others you would
conclude that the relation of government to newspapers was much as It
was In the Soviet Union. Those of us who live here know that to be untrue.
So what the play ls asking Is what Is It about Thatcherlsm that Is so
appealing." (Billington "What Excltes Me About Pravda" 12)

Hare admits to an uncommonly confident feeling about 13m

even before It opened. On premiere nIght he and Brenton felt the

55

sudden recognition that "we were about to offer the public a play which
they knew they wanted. even before It had started. We were sailing
downwind. No. even more than that: we were being willed downwind.
by a great gust of public sentiment." It was a sentiment Hare believed
was fostered by the truth In the play. "It Is believed that Howard and I
regularly update Ergyge. There has'been no need. During Its long run.
different parts of the evening have glowed, as various pieces of wild
satire have transformed themselves effortlessly Into prophecy." (Hare
"Sailing Downwlnd" 132-33) As examples of this phenomenon. Hare refers
to Rupert Murdoch aplng Lambert Le Roux when he acquired American
citizenship In order to purchase television stafions In the states: to the leak
at Chernobyl which seemed eerily like the government plutonium cover-

up in We: and to other local events apparently inspired by the play.

The targets In 13$:ng are many and varied. Just as the audience
finds themselves becoming smug and self-righteous watching the
disreputable antics of the English press behind the scenes. they find
themselves the object of ridicule as the readership of the papers belng
satlrlzed. As an embodiment of I980s sensiblllfles. Emeg resembles other
plays. such as Caryl Churchill's W or Jerry Sterner's Qtner
Wm. that serio-comlcally Illustrate the lust for money and
power of the last decade. It goes even further. though. by depicting
other excesses and societal afflictions that continue Into the 19905.

The original production of Ergyde began with a brief scene
between Andrew and his future wife. Rebecca. which takes place after
the central action of the play. The young man has been taken to the

countryside to recover from his ordeal with Le Roux but the temptation of

56

Fleet Street Is too much and he can't resist the urge to call up his old boss.
Rebecca Is threatening to leave him as he heads for the telephone. In
the revised 1986 version of the play. this scene Is replaced by one In
which Rebecca and Andrew have not yet met and their relaflonshlp with
Le Roux hasn't begun. The chief difference Is a reordering of chronology
to reflect linear fime. simplifying and clarifying the plot.
In both versions the opening scene and many subsequent ones are
followed by a chorus of newsvendors who serve as segues and scene
changing devices. They shout out the evening's headlines which are at
first laughable. then recognizable as the sensationallzed stories the public
craves. They call:
FIRST NEWSVENDOR: HEADLESS MURDER CASE: WHOSE HEAD IS
IT?

SECOND: SEX TUTOR SAYS "SHE LOVED ME'.

THIRD: TWELVE GO-GO DANCERS FOUND IN CRATE AT HEATHROW:
TWELVE EXCLUSIVES.

FIRST: ARAB LOVE NEST HORROR: TWO HELD.

SECOND: ROYAL HAIRDO: CUT OUT AND KEEP.

THIRD: GAY BISHOP—MP'S PROTEST. (Hare 13mg 9)

The headlines touch on all of the Issues that seem to Inevitably
Interest the prlm and proper public In the underbelly of society—the
morose. the macabre. and the private. The vendors' headlines scream
out tales of violence and sex. and claim to have the Inner track on the
lives of the glitteratl.

The scene that follows takes place In the offices of the Leicester
Bystander where. amid the hype of the newsvendors outside and franfic

reporters rattling off breaking stories. the paper's staff Is trylng to put out

57

the evening edition. In preparafion for what Is to come. Hare and
Brenton make some Initial observations about the publishing process and
journalistic ethics In this scene. Andrew. still a lowly reporter. ls coached In
the "lost art of leader writing" by his editor. Harry Morrison. 0 man In his
sixties who has given up his dreams of a free press and turned to alcohol
and blues records. "As a young man I forged new copy." he tells Andrew. .
"I hammered at words. I wrenched them. Unfit It was kindly pointed out
to me that what people wanted was something that was every day the
same. The Illusion of tlmelessness. that's what we sell. Balloons filled with a
gently rising gas. 'On the one hand. on the other...‘ Anything else and
you'd stimulate people. Never do that. It can only compound their
unhappiness." (Hare ELQILQQ 12)

Harry's lronlc lecturing undoubtedly reflects Hare and Brenton's
leftist sensibilities—the agitator's frustration at being rebuffed by the
mainstream. Just as Harry at one time thought he could change the
world. or at least make It better Informed. with his writing. the two
playwrights have had long careers battling the establishment. While
Harry's will was broken. however. Hare and Brenton remain unjaded and
choose tongue-In—cheek humor as a means of antagonism.

The entire newsroom ls then thrown Into a panic by the
unannounced visit of the paper's proprietor. Slr Stamford Foley. The bustle
of activity that accompanies Sir Stamford's imminent arrival reveals
several things about Hare and Brenton's perception of the press and their
relationship with management and readership. "Furrow your brows. put
Ink on your fingers." Harry tells his staff. "Expressions of enlightened
concern. Firm but fair." (Hare Emde 15) as though such attitudes were

only struck for the benefit of the ownership.

58

In the midst of It all Moira Patterson. the owner of a health food
shop. shows up to request a correcflon fora story that reported her son
was convicted of selling cocaine. The childless Moira wishes the article
retracted for the harm It Is doing her business. Andrew. already learning
the sneaky codes of his profession. explains. "If every time we got
something wrong. we published a correction. then a newspaper would
just be a footnote to yesterday's newspaper. And yesterday's a footnote
to the day before's.' With twisted logic he tells her. "A newspaper Isn't just
a scrap of paper. It's something that people feel they have to trust. And if
they can't trust It. why should they read It? A thing is true. or It Isn't. So by
definition. what ls printed must be true—otherwise why print It? And If we
apologise and correct. how can the readers know what ls true and what
Is not? To print corrections Is a kind of betrayal. Of a trust. It's a matter-
finally—of journalistic ethics." (Hare Emma 17)

The exact kind of journalistic ethics the Bystander represents are
further revealed when Sir Stamford announces the reason for his visit: He
is selling his Interest in the paper in order to purchase a share In a
Kentucky thoroughbred horse. Then. as though that weren't damaging
enough. he admits the paper has been sold to Lambert Le Roux. a white
South African. 1

In the confusion that follows this revelation. Hamish McLennan.
Harry's Deputy Editor. steps forth as the new boss. thanks to a lunchtime
deal with Le Roux. Harry assaults his former assistant and the staff. with
Andrew In the lead. threaten a strike. To which Sir Stamford. with all the
empathy of a robber baron. hypocrifically mourns. "Industrial relations In
Englandl All this greed. all this bltterness...why can't we all just agree
among ourselves?" (Hare Ereyde 26)

59

Finally. as Harry Is making a pathetically comical attempt to commit
suicide atop his desk by cutting his wrists with an old razor. the phone
rings. It Is Le Roux. delivering his business decisions Howard Hughes style.
mysteriously unseen. Since Hamish Is too closely associated with the "old

regime." Andrew Is to be the Bystander‘s new editor.

It is at this point that Hare and Brenton Introduce Le Roux himself.
HIs belated appearance serves a purpose: For the rest of the play he Is
the center of attention. The middle-aged businessman Is described as
"heavily built. muscular and dark." He Is undoubtedly evil. but of the most
enticing variety. Crlfics compared the character to Shakespeare's
Richard III._ Jonson's Volpone. and Shaw's Andrew Undershaft for his
fascinatingly malevolent manipulations of other people and drive for
wealth and power.

In a sollloquy to the audience he explains his upbringing In South
Afrlca-the beauty of the landscape. the tragedy of the people—in terms
that make him sound almost philanthropic. Then he sums up his view of
his heritage In words that betray a more sinister. Darwinian personality.
"What I do Is a natural thing." he asserts. "There Is nothing unnatural about
making money. When you are born where I was born. you do have a
feeling for nature. What I admire about nature ls—anlmals. birds. plants.
they fucking get on with It and don't stand about complaining all the
time." (Hare Emyglg 30)

Immediately after Introducing himself the bare stage Le Roux stands
on Is transformed Into a sporting arena in Frankfurt and the slippery
character is seen In action. Among his other business Interests Is a line of

sportswear which he hopes will be adopted by the English Olympic

60

cricket team. To this end he has Invited an English MP. Michael Quince.
to preview his uniforms at a German exhlblflon. The real reason Le Roux
has picked up the tab for the MP5 vIsIt. however. ls so that he may acquire
another English paper. the Victory. Quince's mother Is a majority
shareholder and Le Roux hopes to use him to get at her Investment.

Quince Is at first hesitant. claiming that as a foreigner. especially a
South African. Le Roux cannot "just buya piece of England." He Is
persuaded. however. by lrresistable enticements—the promise of editorial
backing for his career. He observes. "The press and politicians. A delicate
relationship. Too close. and danger ensues. Too far apart and
democracy Itself cannot function without the essential exchange of
lnformaflon—over lunch. over-on which the body politic depends.
Creative leaks. Interchange In the lobby. the art of the unattributable
telephone call. late at night—"A source close to the Prime Minister'.
meaning 'the Prime Minister". Your views aired. accepted. amplified. lying
every day on the doormat. and In return. for the journalist. a promise of
good copy...a sense of being allowed to participate." (Hare Eagle 38-
39)

The exchange between Quince and Le Roux Is successful for an
audience because of the vIewers' natural fondness for having their
opinions confirmed. Many people find reason to suspect some sort of
Iiason between the press and politicians. Government careers In both
England and America have certainly been made or broken according to
a civil servant's relationship to the press. Though the truth of the matter.
the playwrights admlt. Is not known. Brenton wonders. "English
newspapers aren't government propaganda sheets. The question Is. why

do so many of them choose to behave as If they are?" And Hare echoes.

bl

"Why are the papers so willing to get Into bed with government? Or with
this particular government?" (Busby 10)

Quince Is swayed and after an impromptu meeting of the board of
directors In an exclusive private club. the Victory becomes another
underhanded Le Roux coup. As with his previous takeovers. the
proprietor's first order of business is restructuring the paper to suit his tastes
and needs. As part of the buyout agreement. Le Roux agrees to allow
the paper editorial freedom and even consents to a once a week prayer
visit by the Bishop of Putney. conlncldentally an Influential member of the
board.

However the Victorys editor. Elliot Fruit-Norton. Is opposed to Le
Roux's ownership and suggests Instead a co-operative buyout led by the
current management staff. In response. Le Roux sacks Elliot and replaces
hIm with tried-and-true Andrew May. who provides an Important
tesfimonlal to Le Roux's good business pracfices that helps sway the
board In his favor.

The negotiation scene In which Le Roux ls handed the reins of
England's foremost daily publication showcases more of the behind-the-
scenes manipulation. greed. and hypocrisy the playwrights have found in
the capitalist-driven English media. The setting for the board meeting
Itself Is Indicative of the members" real Interests. The Irving Club Is one of
those last bastions of wealthy. English male-dominated society in which
members escape the crudeness of their proletariat workers and Indulge In
a fine meal and polite conversation. As a waiter dryly points out when
Andrew orders Oscar Wilde's drink. a sprltzer and cheese sandwich. "Mr.
Wilde was a member of this club. Ireland's greatest writer. 'Course wrlfing
that well. they pretended he was English." (Hare Emde 42)

62

When the Informal meeting begins Benjamin Silk. the Chairman of
the board. announces the criteria set forth In the deeds of the paper's
trust pertaining to the publication's ownership. Fittingly. the stipulation Is
merely that the owner be "a proper person." While this reference Is
deliberately vague and certainly not legally binding. its message for the
trust Is that the paper should be owned by a true. refined. upper class
Englishman. which Le Roux. to date. plainly Is not. Along with his recently
swayed MP friend Quince. however. Le Roux has been working toward a
solution to this problem. He has renounced his South African clfizenship
and become an official Englishman with a new passport. even affecting
a different accent for his new role. and he handles what few minor
quibbles the board has left with gentlemanly panache. finally sending

them all off to dine together at an elegant restaurant nearby.

While Le Roux's vlllainy ls obvious. and his behavior Is meant to be
scomed. Hare and Brenton do not offer another character to stand In
relief to him as a moral Icon. Andrew ls too easily manipulated. and the
minor characters are mainly tools of the playwrights that facilitate action.
Their very names seem to suggest humorous or despicable traits about the
English character—Hamish. Smiley. Eaton. Silk. Whlcker-Baskett. Punt.
Scroop. Ape-Warden. and. of course. Elliot Fruit-Norton. For all his
Ideallstlc posturing. and claims of usefulness to the masses. Elliot's farewell
speech to the press upon being ousted from his job as editor betrays his
true timbre. "Viewed In the evening light of history. my tenure at The
Victory may seem only a passing shadow." begins his melodramatic
oration. "But the unique qualities of civilisation which I have sought to

advance are sempl-ternal. Addison. Steele. Johnson. These have been

63

my constant companions. and as I retire now to spend fime with my wife
Gllda. my animals and my two strapping lads. I know that friendly ghosts
of the geat joumallsts will join us for dinner at our Suffolk home in Much
Blakeley." And what will he reflre to? "I have accepted the
Chairmanship of The National Greyhound Racetrack lnspecfion Board."
he continues. "A role to which I shall bring the same qualities of
discrimination. balance and problty which have characterised my time at
The Victory." (Hare flame 55-56)

Elliot. assumedly like many other newspaper editors. ls obsessed with
what he believes to be his gift for language. learning. and rafional
thought. and It has been convenient for him to align himself with
joumallstlc principles and English patriotism. In the end. the playwrights
suggest. he Is a man like any other who. when pressed. abandons high-
mInded codes to serve his best Interests. His demotion to racetrack
administrator also provides the newsvendors another humorous segue.
They call:

FIRST NEWSVENDOR. EDITOR GOES TO DOGSI

SECOND. FRUIT-NORTON: I'LL BRING CLASS TO DOGTRACKI

THIRD. SNOB MOVES IN: PUNTERS' NIGHTMARE! (Hare We 56)

His purchase of The Victory Is his most Important one to date. Even
though the paper ls losing Incredible amounts of money—over a million
pounds a week—Its symbolic significance to the country makes It a
valuable commodity. Le Roux. therefore. takes a more active part In
launching the new Victory. Whereas before he was content to stay at
home and telephone his directives to Andrew or some other hireling. he
now takes center stage. storming the offices of the paper and cutflng hls

losses in one fell swoop by firing reporters and office workers left and right.

64

As writers cower behind desks and water coolers Le Roux advances
like a dervlsh. sacking one for a complicated article on South American
politics. another for simply belonging to the Home Affairs beat. and a third
forgoing to the lavatory. As Eaton Sylvester. his assistant. keeps a running
tally of office casualfles. Le Roux's takeover degenerates Into a child's
game of red rover. with one side of the press room labelled the "safe end"
where writers with jobs breathe a sigh of relief. and the other a sort of no-
man's land where a wrong look or audible sound might mean
termination.

The scene Is a saflric reflection of corporate "downsizing." a
devastating trend designed to maintain corporation profits by trimming
labor costs begun In earnest in the 19805. When the carnage is complete.
Le Roux turns to the remaining crowd and. twirling his mustache If he had
one. tells them. "We have cast out the bad. There was bad on this paper.
Ufe Is a fight between the good and the bad. We all of us. may now
work together In a warm and friendly atmostphere. Let's make a good. a
lovely paper. a family paper full of Iove...no more unpleasantness. Right
eVeryone. Let's get the news on the street." (Hare Em 62) Uke the
melodramas Its characters seem to spring from. this scene ends the first
act of the play with the villain standing astrlde his victim. Audiences are
sent Into the lobby wondering If and how the down and out English press
will rise up to defeat the foreign usurper. Only Hare and Brenton have
added a critical twist: As the lnsfltution now exists. does the media

deserve any better?

The second act opens In the newsroom of the new Victory. Now.

Instead of revelatory reporting and Elliot's "obsessional articles on supply-

65

side economics" that no one could understand. the paper Is churning out
palatable public Interest stories and right-angled reports of national
events. A police attack on a group of women peacefully protesting a
nuclear facility that netted twenty-seven arrests and left two protestors
hospitalized. under the new management becomes a valiant defense by
the English constabulary against a maraudlng bunch of liberal fanaflcs.
"Investigative journalism" for the new Victory means copying the news
from the ten o'clock television broadcast and sending a group of
reporters to a pate-tasting binge at the Ritz to get the in-depth scoop on
pork content In hors d'oeuvres. As one reporter says. "Kitchens. Consumer
objects. Holidays. Microchips. Show-biz gossip. Human Interest devoid of
Interest. Keep It all frothy. The world's ten leading film stars. just how

much bran is there In their breakfast? Funny. everyone used to be so
frightened of Investigative journalism." (Hare Emma 68)

Still. the transition to lower quality. homogenized news reporting
Immediately garners the Victory a larger readership and Its editor "The
Golden Typing Finger" award. This Is undoubtedly Hare and Brenton's
tounge-ln-cheek way of recognizing the lurid attraction-repulsion
relaflonship between the press and the public. Though readers may
publicly claim that vacuous "news" and scandalous stories of sex and
violence are revolting. privately It is what they crave.

Arriving In the newsroom just after receiving the esteemed "Golden
Typing Finger" recognition by his peers. Andrew wants to see the paper to
bed before joining Le Roux and some of the British royalty at a dinner
upstairs. Hls plans are interrupted. however. when Rebecca arrives with a
leaked Ministry of Defense document that explains government tesfing

performed on flasks of plutonium that proved them unsafe. Since the

66

Prime Minister had denied such rumors on several occasions. and
Instructed cIvIl workers to do likewise, the memo Indicts the entire majority
government party In the cover-up.

Andrew Is faced with a delicate decision. Long-neglected notions
of joumallstlc Integrity tell him he should Immediately print the story and
deal with the consequences later. The possible consequences. however.
which Include professional ostraclzaflon and possible persecution by the
government. lead him to hesitate. There Is no doubt which side his staff Is
on. Bill Smiley. a reporter Andrew brings Into the debate. tells him. "This Is
fantastlcl Pay—gold at lastl The ladder to heavenl Ten fucking years In
the saltmInes of this fucking profession. doorstepplng drunken councillors.
and finally something that's reall And magnificentl That's not about
traffic. or councils. or weddingsl The joy of finally holding their balls In my
handd"

Rebecca bullies Andrew. "This Is the job of a newspaper. It isn't a
bad Idea. after all. To tell people what's really happening. Long out of
favour. of course. That's what you always said when we sat up late at
night In front of the fire. talking about a free press. Why Is It when a free
press 15 presented with a real opportunity. freedom Is on the one hand
principle. and on the fucking other. In this case. doesn't apply." (Hare
Ergvgg 73-74)

While he quivers on the edge of a decision. Andrew draws In
another reporter. the Victorys Lobby correspondent. Leander Scroop.
Startilngly. Scroop tells them their leak is actually old news. that he had
heard It weeks before. He explains to them. for the benefit of the
audience. one of the modern media's quesflonable catch-225. "Bear In

mind." he tells them. "I was In the Lobby. The Lobby has rules. I met with

67

the Minister. I am free to disclose this about our meeting. It officially
never took place. He was. in a sense. downing pink gins In Annie's Bar.
But officially he never drank anything. Officially no briefing occurred...He
told me everything. therefore he told me nothing. A perfect English
arrangement. Everything that happened did not happen. I was present
at a meeting at which no_ one met. Only I know the truth of this story.
because I am a lobby correspondent: but If 1 report the truth of this story. I
am no longer a lobby correspondent. I would be thrown out of my
favoured profession. Which I love. Yes. The only way you can have the
confidence of Ministers Is to have the confidence never to repeat what
Ministers say." (Hare Elem 75-76)

Scroop's opposiflon aside. Andrew decides to publish the article
anyway and calls for a half of the evening's presses. Meanwhile his
assistant editor. Doug Fantom. has retrieved Le Roux from his dinner party
with the royalty. He listens to both sides of the Issue. is unconvinced by
Andrew's show of bravado In the face of government recrlminations. and
suggests they return the leaked document and Instead print the ldenflty
of the source. beginning a new series. "Spies and Moles In Her Majesty's
Government."

When Rebecca refuses to reveal her source. Le Roux fires Andrew.
telling him. "You're a very confused person. You have a left-wing wife
and a right-wing proprietor. The tensions In your life are lrreconcllable."
When he protests that he has just been chosen Editor of the Year for his
outstanding performance. Le Roux responds that he doesn't like singularity
among joumallsts. and explains what the playwrights must find the
homogenous problem of newspapers to be. "I provided the formula." he

says. "It worked In South Africa. Page one. a nice picture of the Prime

68

Minister. Page two. something about actors. Page three. gossip . the
veld. what you call the countryside. a rail crash If you're lucky. Four. high
technology. Five. sex. sex crimes. court cases. A couple of filler pages
then Its editorials. Then letters. All pleasingly like-minded. all from Kent.
The odd one from Berne. Lucerne. Geneva. Zurich to add weight and
variety. An Internaflonal flavour. Then slx pages of sport. Back page. a
lot of weather and something nasty about the Opposition." (Hare Emydg
81-82)

He tells Andrew his only responsibility has been to write editorials.
and someone else could do that equally as well. Andrew. like Harry
Morrison. his editor at the Leicester Bystander before Le Roux's takeover.
attempts a stand. He calls for solidarity among the news staff. a show of
support from his former employees. but he ls greeted by scornful silence
and exits. vowing revenge.

In the brief scene that follows. the newsvendors hawk the evening
papers. the headlines of which reveal that Rebecca took her story to a
rival publication. The Usurper. which decided to publish the leak. In an
amazing condensation of exposition. they shout:

FIRST NEWSVENDOR. NUCLEAR POWER STORY: MINISTER DENIES

IT I
SECOND NEWSVENDOR. THAT FLASK: THE STORY IN FULLI
EXCLUSIVE: ONLY THE DAILY USURPERI
THIRD NEWSVENDOR. SPECIAL BRANCH VISITS THE DAILY
USURPERI EDITOR SAYS 'I'LL NEVER GIVE INI'
FIRST NEWSVENDOR. EDITOR GIVES INl
After a brief press conference held by Quince. In which he outilnes

the twist the government has put on the story. blaming the civil servant

69

who leaked the information rather than Itself for Irre5ponsiblilty. the
Vendors continue:
FIRST NEWSVENDOR. USURPER EDITOR TAKES HONOURABLE
COURSEI

SECOND NEWSVENDOR. EDITOR FOUND HANGEDI

THIRD NEWSVENDOR. SEX-PLAN DIETI YOUR THIRTY-FIFTH DAYI

SECOND NEWSVENDOR. LEAK TRIAL STARTS MONDAYI

FIRST NEWSVENDOR. VICTORY NEW SALES RECORD! UP AND UP

WE GOI

While Andrew and Rebecca are struggling to get the truth In print.
sinking another paper in the process. Le Roux ls busy lnsulaflng himself
even further from dependence on others for his success. His assistant.
Eaton Sylvester. meets him at his home In Weybridge to tell him about
some trouble Quince. their pocketed MP. Is in. Le Roux's bungalow Is an
ostentatious replica of a Japanese style mansion. with wooden floors.
paper screens. and an Indoor pool with a Japanese bridge. It Is the
place where Le Roux and his wife practice "Toyinka. the Japanese art of
personal attack." as well as Yoga and Zen flower arrangement.

The media mogul's habitat ls yet another stab at 19805 business
philosophy. His surroundings reflect not only the gaudy eccentricifles of
the '805 nouveau riche. but also the upper echelon businessman's interest
in the physical and mental training of their competitors. who In the '805
were principally the Japanese.

Eaton's message to Le Roux Is that Quince needs one-hundred
thousand pounds deposited In his bank In order to extricate himself from a
poor political maneuver. Le Roux refuses. telling him he doesn't need

Quince, the government. or anyone else. "Contacts?" he says. "I don't

70

have any contacts. do you? No. ditch everyone. You don't need
anyone. With me. there's nobody left. I once had fifteen hundred
people who worked for me In South Africa. Where are they now?" (Hare
ELQALQQ 91)

After discussing all the enemies Le Roux has made. the throngs of
people he has fired. they decide to shake things up even further and
attempt a hosflle takeover of another paper. The Usurper. However. In
this endeavor they are not alone. A coterle of Le Roux's former star
players. Andrew May. Elliot Fruit-Norton. Rebecca May. Michael Quince
and Bill Smiley. have gathered at one of the dog tracks Elliot Is now in
charge of administering. He proposes they join forces with other
politically Influential people who have been harmed by Le Roux.
purchase The Usurper while It Is In turmoil because of the uranium leak
story. and turn If Into a "one nation" paper. filled from cover to back with
damaging stories about their former proprietor.

Their trump card. Elliot believes. is Eaton Sylvester. who meets them
to say he wants to defect—to "loot the ruins" of Le Roux's empire before It
crumbles around them. In exchange for a stake in his demise. Eaton
offers them the sealed envelope bld Le Roux will be making for The
Usurper. as well as stories about Le Roux's past In South Africa that will
make devastating newspaper copy. After some initial hesitation the
group decides to let him In and take the plunge. topping Le Roux's
supposed thirteen million pound bid for The Usurper.

In another brief scene with the Newsvendors It Is revealed that the
rebellious cooperative succeeded in buying the Usurper and has begun
publishing anti-Le Roux propaganda. Andrew holds a press conference

and challenges Le Roux to respond to their allegaflons. telling the

71

assembly. "By his silence he condemns himself. If he can answer. then let
him answer. If he does not answer. then draw your conclusions." (Hare
ELQMQQ 109)

However It Is not through the press. but In person that Andrew next
hears from Lambert Le Roux. While out hiking In the Yorkshire Moors. he
encounters Le Roux on a hunting expedition and learns of the egregious
mistake he and his cohorts have made. Believing the stories they were
fed by Eaton and a string of secret sources. Andrew's crew used the
Usurpers pages in an effort to enlighten England. He tells Le Roux. "We
want to be rid of you. Rid the whole country of you. This perpetual
distortion of the truth. It has an effect. It's Insidious.- This contempt for
balance. Factsl Because of you British people's minds are
fogging..clogging...decaying...silting up...with falsehood."

Unoffended. Le Roux counters. "Delusions. Does nobody see?
What on earth Is all this stuff about truth? Truth? Why. when everywhere
you go people tell ties. In pubs. To each other. To their husbands. To
their wives. To the children. To the dying-and thank God they do. no
one tells the truth. Why single out newspapers? Why there? 'Ohl A
special standarel' Everyone can tell lies except newspapers. They're the
universal scapegoat for everybody else's evasions and inadequacies. It Is
a totally unworkable view of the worldl'

Then. from out of the brush. Ian Ape-Warden. a lawyer. appears to
serve Andrew with a legal notice—a writ for libel. The final word Is once
again Le Roux's. He explains to Andrew that everything the editor has
been publishing about him—all the grotesque stories he took to be facts-
were fabrications. stories told to Andrew and his vengeful. over-eager

colleagues. Rather than buying the Usurper himself and puffing It out of

72

business. Le Roux concocted a scheme to run the paper into the ground
along with all his enemies. He led them to their own destruction.

The final circus-like scene takes place In the newsroom of The Tide.
Reporters dash from place to place slapping together scurrilous stories
about talking horses. single line editorials ("To the Leader of Her Majesty's
Opposition: Jump in the Khasl'). and photo contests for large-breasted
women. All his options depleted. Andrew returns to his maniacal master
as the new editor of The Tide. Elated. Le Roux announces to his staff.
"There Is more rejoicing In heaven over the one who returns to me than
there is over the two hundred lazy bastards who are loyal." (Hare Elem
121)

In a final stroke of free press devastation. the doors to the
newsroom burst open and the enfire staff of The Victory joins the Tide
reporters. Le Roux has combined the two radically different papers.
"Upmarket. down-market. It's all the same stuff." he says. "And we do the
same things to It." As Eaton enters with another round of pink slips for
former employees and Andrew once again takes the editorial helm. Le
Roux ends the play by announcing. "Gentlemen. We have a new

foreman. Welcome to the foundry of lies." (Hare Ergvde 124)

The "foundry of lies" Hare and Brenton created was enormously
successful In Its run at the Naflonal Theatre. It surpassed the Natlonal's
previous performance record fora new play. Peter Schaffer‘s Amadeus.
and. understandably. created quite a sfir in the community and the press.
Several joumallsts reacted lnsfinctualiy with scorn for the way their
profession was depicted. In The Times. Bernard Levin wrote. "It Is an

Illiterate strip-cartoon. cruder by for than the worst excesses of any

73

newspaper possessed of photographs depicting a trousefless vicar In the
company of the chief bellrlnger's wife...Never yet did I read a newspaper
story that was simultaneously as ignorant. erroneous. unchecked. ill-
written. and reckless as Pravda." (Levin) .

In the Uterary Review. John Orr said. "What starts out as a leftist
spoofing of Thatcherlsm ends up as a patriotic ode to bumbling
Incompetence. All press. young and old. left and right. cynlcs and
ldeallsts. end up at a dogtrack in Lancashlre. all hoodwlnked and all
Briflsh. flying the flag at half mast because they have all been well and
truly screwed." (Orr I9) Summarizing the playwrights' complaints. Donald
Trelford wrote In the Observer. "No one could say that the authors of
Pravda set out to flatter the prejudices of anyone. such as myself.
professionally engaged In Fleet Street. By my count our trade Is convicted
of the following vices: ambition. cruelty. cynicism. Incompetence.
complacency. defeaflsm. snobbery. bias. decepflon. plagiarism. triviality.
'sycohpancy (to politicians as well as to owners). cowardice. corrupflon. of
being opinionated. arrogant. and drunk. of lacking convlcflons. of having
fantasies about our own power and Influence. and no solidarity." (T relford
8)

Other critics. however. approached the production more
objectively and recognized the satire for what It was: a vehicle for the
larger messages of the play. In Time magazine. William A. Henry wrote.
"Pravda Is not merely lamenflng the newspapers that are but pining for
newspapers that might be...lt recalls the morally assertive best of
warmhearted Broadway saflres like The Solid Gold Cadillac." (Henry)

Also stateside. Richard Chrlstlansen in the Chicago Tribune said.

"The serious Issue of journalism as a public trust is given a sharp. frequently

74

very funny airing In Pravda." (Chrlsflansen 1) Taking Chrlstlansen's
assertion even further. Brlflsh crlflc Benedict Nightingale wrote in the New
Statesman. "It uses frank and unabashed caricature to dldacflc ends:
which are to suggest not merely that we're giving outrageously unfit
people for too much control over what ought to be sources of truth and
light. but that the British character of 1985. compounded as It substantially
Is of greed. cynicism. sloth and moral guflessness. makes more than one
aspect of our national life vulnerable to unscrupulous predators. 'Fleet
Street ls only a metaphor.‘ say Hare-Brenton in the Ollvler programme.
and mean It." (Nightingale "Rough Beasts" 30)

Nighflngale. who has followed Hare's career from Its beginning In
the Fringe movement of the 19605. has not always liked what he has seen.
However. ELgyde to him was a significant work. In an Interview prior to
Hare's 1993 premiere of IneAbseneeeflnLgL the London reviewer
compared Hare to earlier Socialist-activist writers. He said. "White In J.B.
Priestiy's time he was a marginalized voice. now people expect to go see
theatre and hear criticisms of the country. To be fair to Hare he has
helped keep that tradition alive. Apart from Churchill and a few others.
there hasn't really been another playwright who has done this job."
(Nightingale Intendew)

Matt Wolf. an American-born criflc who has covered London
theatre as a free-lance writer for ten years. agreed. He recalls. "I
remember thinking It had problems dramaturgically but it was a big "state
of the nafion' play and a polemic In the best sense of the word." He. too.
places Emygjg In hlstoflcal context. "The Brlflsh have been wrlfing about

public issues for a long while now." he said. "While In the states people

75

were writing domestic dramas-what Benedict Nightingale has called
'dlaper dramas.‘

Wolf also recognizes the societal relevance of the play In Its time.
He noted. 'ELQMQIQ seemed uniquely British and It seemed very much a
product of Its time. like AMMU- It was very much in
response to the Thatcher years. It's hard to remember now without
Thatcher at the pollfical helm that a Rupert Murdoch would never have
taken control unaided by Thatcherlsm. Of course now. with all but a few
papers gone from Fleet Street. Ergydg seems like a museum piece." (Wolf
IDLQMQIM)

As Wolf notes. much about .8me turned Into prophecy. Fleet
Street. In the course of only a few years. did Indeed collapse. then scatter
across the city under the whims of new management. On the positive
side. the role of Le Roux heralded a career swing for stage and screen
actor Anthony Hopkins. Wolf remarks. "(Emma was) an extraordinary
vehicle for Hopkins—a comeback for him In London after a series of dreary
roles in the states." (Wolf Intendew)

Indeed. most critics found themselves lnexorably drawn to Hopkins'
cagey Le Roux. even If they did not like the play. John Orr wrote. "The
way Is open for the Super vIIlaIn to dominate the stage and Anthony
Hopkins does not need any second chance. He struts around like a cross
between a bull and a ballerina. his thick torso stuck archly forward. yet
tripping lightly on his toes. As others speak. he appears neither to notice
nor listen. but lets his weasei's eyes scan the audience with open
menace. It is a ritual of unashamed hypnosis. We watch Hopkins and
cease to listen to others. We grow Impatient for his next entrance." (Orr

20)

76

In a recent interview. several years after playing Le Roux. the way
Hopkins describes the part reveals some of the strength of personality he
brought to the role. He told Playboy reporter Lawrence Grobel. "In
Biggie I played a man called Lambert Le Roux who was a male version
of Margaret Thatcher. He was like Jaws. In the way sharks move. This
man knew exactly what price people had. and he knew that everyone
had a price. I loved playing that part becasue he saw through all the
bullshit. He knew that contained In each human being Is the jungle.
That's a pretty bleak look at life. but there Is a part that Is exclflng."
(Grobel 57)

Ergyfig also became a harbinger of things to come for David Hare.
During producfion. when asked about the relationship of a prominent left-
wlng. Labourlte playwright and the government-funded National Theatre.
Hare responded with the anti-establishment baffle cry. "In England.
subsidized theatre Is under attack from a right-wing Government. Let us.
therefore. use the Naflonal Theatre to attack that Government from a
nationalized stage." (Gussow "Playwright as Provocateur" 75) And It is
from within the walls of the National Theatre that Hare has been

operating ever since.

77

The Bay of Nice and Wrecked Eggs

Inefiemujge and mm. Hare's plays that premiered at
the National In 1986. the year after We. were altogether simpler and

subtler In their design and execution. The playwright turned from the
multi-scene. thirty character. full-length. epic satire he and Howard
Brenton had created to a pair of small cast. single-set. one act dramas.
While Ergyde was written expressly for the cavernous, 1200-seat Olivier
stage. the new pair of plays opened In the Natlonal's Cottesloe Theatre. a
400-seat adaptable room.

Of all of Hare's plays produced since his breakthrough. Benjy. In
1979. W and W9: remain the least discussed and
analyzed. both by the press and the author himself. In Mllinaiefi;
Heneed. his collection of essays and speeches published In 1991. Hare
discusses or alludes to all of his productions throughout the 1980s except
for these two—they are conspicuously absent. Perhaps this 15 due to the
fate of the plays. While the reviews for the pair. produced back-to-back
with shared casts. were mostly favorable. they had a relatively short run In
London and never received a New York production.

Though they were not as popularly successful as earlier ventures.
these plays nonetheless represent an Important part of Hare's canon.
Besides being the only time the playwflght ever used the one-act format.
they are also an artlsflc assertion of the kind of play Hare has always
Inslsted he writes. though criflcs have been hesitant to credit him for.
Because so many of his plays have contained obvious and potentially

Incendiary poliflcal Ideas. and because Hare comes from the generaflon

78

of playwrights that created the left-leaning Fringe Theatre scene. many
scholars and reviewers have been quick to plgeonhole him as onlya
political writer or commentator on naflonal and international Interests.

In reality. IbeBgygLNjee and Medium represent what he
claims to strive for: a melding of the political and the personal. To those
who expect sheer dogma from his work Hare has said. "I do understand
the thinking. The Marxist playwright working In a fairly hostile medium feels
that his first job Is to declare his allegiance. to show his hand If you like. He
thinks that because the play itself Is part of the class struggle. he must first
say which side he Is on and make that clear. before he proceeds to lay
out the Ideas of the play as fairly as he may. To me this approach ls
rubbish. it Insults the audience's intelligence: more important It Insults their
experience: most Important It Is also a fundmental misunderstanding of
what a play Is. A play Is not actors. a play 15 not text: a play Is what
happens between the stage and the audience. A play Is a performance.
So if a play Is to be a weapon in the class struggle. then that weapon is
not going to be the things you are saying: It Is the Interaction of what you
are saying and what the audience Is thinking. The play Is In the air." (Hare
"The Play Is In the Air" 29-30)

To Hare. extremes of any kind may damage dramatic art. "A
theatre which Is exclusively personal. just a place of private psychology. Is
Inclined to self4ndulgence." he claims, "A theatre which Is just social ls
Inclined to unreality. to the Impatient blindness I've talked about." (Hare
"The Play Is In the Air" 34) Thus. In W and In WLeekedEggs.
Hare attempts to balance these ends and achieve what he has called
"the two disfinctlve virtues of real plays: they show us that feelings which

we had thought private turn out to be common ground with others. and.

79

uniquely. they appeal as much to our heads as to our hearts. Or. rather.
they send our minds and hearts spinning together. so that we cannot tell
which Is which." (Hare "Looking Foolish" 46)

The first play on the double bill. 113W. finds its political
element In Its setting: the Hermitage Museum In Leningrad. 1956. It Is the
year of Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin and the Soviet Invasion of
Budapest. Against this backdrop of Communist Russia and the Cold War
at Its peak are set the personal lives of three characters whose Immediate
concerns lie for from the realm of global pollfics. Valentina Nrovka. one
of Maflsse's pupils In turn-of-the-century Paris. has been summoned to the
museum to authenticate a recenfiy discovered painting. believed to be
one of her tutor's originals. She is led to a room In the museum where the
painflng sits. shrouded In a comer. At the Hermitage. she is met by her
daughter. Sophia Yeplleva. who seeks her mother's approval and
assistance In divorcing her husband and starflng a new life with her lover.
Peter Unltsky. an elderly. Improbable suitor who Is ldenflfled mainly by his
job with the sanitation department.

While the museum curators wait for Valenfina's judgement of the
Matisse. the two women discuss the consequences Sophia's plans would
have for herself. her children. and her husband. Valentina opposes her
daughter's recklessness. but finally agrees to speak with her husband and
even to sell her apartment In order to help Sophia back on her feet. The
play ends with Valentina removing the drape from the painting and

recognizing It as the work of her fauvist teacher.

80

Hare's talent for creating multidimensional. driven female
characters. absent In his last two plays. returns In memmflyjee. The
crux of the drama ties In the conversaflon between the elderly Valenflna
and her somewhat estranged daughter. Sophia. Both women are highly
educated and creaflve. Valenfina. In her youth. lived a bohemian
lifestyle. travelling Europe learning to paint. Her daughter. now a
schoolteacher. also points. though her mother questions her talent. Their
discourse reflects their humanist Intelligence. allowing the playwright the
liberty to express a number of Ideas while remaining true to the plot.

As they discuss the various crises In their lives they touch upon larger
questions such as the nature of art. the meaning of personal freedom.
public conscience. and national Idenfity. Each woman's opinion on
these subjects defines her relaflonshlp with the other. and her place In
Russian society.

After first being left In the room where she Is to judge the painting.
Valenfina complains to Sophia that the museum Is too enamored of
socialist realism. "Whirlpools of mud." She relates a story about Picasso
who. she says. lived In an ugly mansion. When his friends questioned his
aesthetic sense he said. "You are all prisoners of taste. Great artists love
everything. There Is 'no such thing as ugliness." Her daughter counters. "By
that argument. If everything's beautiful. then that Includes socialist
realism." (Hare Inefigygifllee 5—6)

Valentina continues her lament for great art by saying. "All the
artists are dead. The poets are moaners. And the playwrights are worse.
Because they're exhausting. People run round the stage. It tires me. In
their stories the minute hand Is going round like crazy. But the hour hand

never turns at all." Her contempt for the modern extends even to polite

8i

conversaflon. "Tell me. who do you think I should be seeing?" she asks
Sophia. "Name anyone In Leningrad who's worth an hour. A full hour." To
which her daughter replies. "Well. of course I enjoy everybody's company.
lfind something good or Interesflng In everyone." (Hare Ihefigmflfljee
7)

These opening glimpses of Valentina and Sophia's personalities are
very revealing. Valentina. once a free spirit but now set In her ways. longs
for the artistry of earlier decades—Maflsse and Picasso. Tolstol. Chekhov
and Ibsen—while her daughter Is comfortable with the present. One has
become a near recluse while the other Is sflll searching for life's
safisfacfion. It Is a conflict between jaded experience and Ideallsfic
youth similar to the one between Stephen and Mehta in We
Weud. Both sides are adequately prepared and equally matched. for
Hare ls less concerned with which one is right and more Interested in
degrees of differences and the resulting conflict.

It Is Valenfina who first brings up the play's central conflict: whether
Sophia should seek a divorce from her husband. She tells Sophia she has
heard rumors of the rift and encourages her to say what she has
undoubtedly come to say. Before she has the chance. though. the
women are Interrupted by the museum's Assistant Curator who arrives
with the painflng.

The work the Curator brings Is Maflsse's "The Bay at Nice." a palnflng
depicting fragments of a room near a seashore. Though It Is never
actually seen by the audience. the painting holds symbolic significance
for all of the characters and many of the actions that follow. It Is
representative of the playwright's search for truth. As one crlflc observed.

"Uke all of Hare's plays—or Indeed. any work which questions moral

82

standards—this ls basically a piece about authenflclty: what constitutes a
true work of art? love? decent work? a valid life?" (Radln 30)

The first question of authenticity. of course. Is the validity of the
palnflng. Interestingly. on this subject Hare chose to delve deeply Into
research behind artistic forgerles and methods of discovering false
documents and works of art. The Curator explains. "We know a great
deal about pigment chronology. We have radio carbon. We have X-ray
crystallography. We have wet chemistry. All these are Invaluable If the
palnflng Is old enough. Because daflng Is what usually gives the forger
away." (HarerQflQLQLMQfi II)

Being a fairly recent painter. however. the works of Matisse prove
difficult for these methods. The state's sclenflsts have been somewhat
helpful. "Their work Is very useful." the Curator says. "It Is respected. Within
certain limits. They have proved that If the canvas was forged. It was
forged some time ago. Almost certainly In France. They can establish
that. Where and when. That Is useful work. But It does—In this case—we
believe—stop short of who." (Hare 11)

The subjective matter of who that the objecflve methods of
science can't prove Is what the museum needs Valenflna to settle. It Is.
Hare seems to suggest. a minor victory for humanlsts to find that there are
still some things the cold eye of science cannot resolve.

The painting takes an added significance when Its origins are
known. The AssistantCurator explains to Valentina that it was
bequeathed to the museum by a former Count of Russia. a Czarist who
fled the country In 1919 to live In the south of France. While It puzzles the
museum staff that an exiled supporter of the czars should choose to have

such a work sent back to Russia. Valenflna understands perfectly. She.

83

too. chose to spend her life abroad. avoiding many of the catastrophes
that accompanied the revolutionary years. But. as she notes. "We all must
make our peace." (Hare 16) Uke the Count. and the painting. Valentina
followed the allure of her homeland and chose to return to It to have her
child. Sophia.

The discussion of the painting allows for more commentary on the
nature of art and the role of the artist. Each character in the room has a
different relaflonshlp to the creaflve world that surrounds them. Sophia
says she paints for sheer enjoyment. "not to be In competition with great
artists." Her mother. though. tells her. "You should want to be Cezanne.

Or else why paint?" She accuses Sophia of shallowness. saying. "What you
do Is called photography...Palnflng. ls ultimately to do with the quality of
feeling." Chiming In at the end. the Assistant Curator merely adds. "I can't
tell. I'm an Academician. My heart Is In the catalogue." (Hare 13-14)

The range of senflment toward the art of palnflng. from casual
amateur. to emoflonal aficlanado. to scienflfic studiousness. Is Hare's way
of examining a difficult puzzle-the nature of art—from several angles.
None of the three participating characters can agree on how painting
should be accomplished. what Its purpose should be. or how it should be
valued. Interestingly. the Assistant Curator ls given the last word on the
subject In this conversation. "All art Is loot." he says. "Who should own It? I
shouldn't say this. but there Isn't much jusflce In these things. If we
examined the process whereby everything on these walls was
acqulred...we should have bare walls." (Hare 16)

Following the Assistant's exit to fetch some tea. Valentina Is once
again able to prod Sophia about her marriage. The thematic focus of the

play shlfis from quesltons of art and aestheflc to discussions of love. duty.

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and self-fulfillment. Sophia. who has spent years with her husband. Grigor.
and brought up two children with him. feels disenchanted with traditional
ways of thinking about relationships. "I think less and less of love." she tells
her mother. "What does love have to do with It? What matters Is not love.
but what the other person makes you." (Hare 18)

Since her husband is so successful. Sophia feels Inferior. She
explains. "When I stand next to Grigor. It's clear. he Is a dutiful man. He's a
model servant of the State. Next to him. I look only like a fortunate
woman who must struggle every day to deserve the luck she's had In
marrying someone so worthwhile. That is my role. In marriages everyone
gets cast. the strong one. the weak. The quick one. the slow. the steady.
the giddy. It's set. Almost from the moment you meet." (Hare 18)

Sophia's expression of dissatisfaction is a perfect example of Hare's
melding of pollflcal and personal turmoil. In 1979 Hare divorced Margaret
Matheson. his wife often years with whom he had three children. He I
undoubtedly understands the myriad difficulties In relationships that can
drive wedges between couples. It Is not. however. one of these many
familiar complaints-Infidelity. frigidlty. apathy. or simple Irreconcllable
differences—that leads off Sophia's list of complaints about her marriage.
Rather. It is Grigor's effectiveness as a statesman.

Constanfly mixed with all her other grievances Is a resentment of
the government‘s role In their lives. "With Grigor. I'm dowdy. I'm
scatterbralned. I'm trying to prove myself." she says. "All the standards are
his. Grigor. of course has nothing to prove. He's a headmaster at thirty-
seven. the Party approves of him. He can always find his shirts In the

drawer. I usually can. But Usually Is no good next to Always." (Hare 18)

85

The new love In her life. Peter Unltsky. is apolitical. He Is a simple
man who works for the Sanitation Board. To Valentina. this Is an absurd
compromise. She tells Sophia. "You've found yourself a mediocrity. so you
suffer less by comparison. Is that what you mean?" (Hare 19)

She tells her daughter she must face both her conscience and her
‘ children In making such a drastic move. For Sophia. though. It Is a matter
of self-actualizatlon. "Do you think I've not thought of them?" she asks.
"Mother, It's hard. But I have the right to live my own life." She claims
there Is a principle at stake. saying. "In their private life. a person must be
free to live as they choose." (Hare 19-20)

Choosing between personal freedom and communal obligation.
however. Is something Valenflna Is quitefamlliar with. Hare uses the older
woman's background to once again broaden the importance of the
discussion to encompass larger aspects or society. Valenfina chasflses
Sophia. "How convenient. Goodness. An Ideal. Which also coincides
with what you want. How perfect. What perfect luck. Run off with this
man. Call it 'living my own life'. 'I must be myself. I must do what I want...“
I have heard these words before. On boulevards. In cafés. I used to hear
them In Paris. I associate them with zinc tables and the gushing of beer.
Everyone talking about their entitlements. 'I must be allowed to realize
myself.‘ For me. It had a different name. I never called It principle. I
called It selfishness." (Hare 20)

What might have degenerated Into a simple-minded mother-
daughter spat about rights and responsibilities. growing up and owning
up. 15 Instead made more dramatically lnteresflng and socially relevant by
Valentino's references to her life In Paris. The era she refers to was one of

artistic revolt and personal liberafion. The Idealists in the barrooms were

86

lntellectuals and free-thinkers. But In historical terms. Hare's use of the City
of Ught In this context cannot help but conjure other Images of revolution
synonymous with Parisian culture. More than a century before. the
boulevards and cafes were filled with the disgruntled proletariat plotting
real revolution. and only a few years after Valentina's stay. the city was
fighting to liberate Itself from foreign occupation;

Before they can settle the matter. their discussion of liberty Is
Interrupted by the arrival of Sophia's suitor. Peter. Vaientlna's reception of
the man Is a mixture of surprise at his age-so many years her daughter's
senior—and Icy scorn for what she thinks he represents-the Ignorant.
mundane masses. After a few brief exchanges. in which It is discovered
that Peter. too. was once married. the dialogue once again settles on the
poliflcal Intrusion Into the characters' lives. Feeling she has found the
perfect reason why this man can not coUrt her daughter. Valentina tells
Peter. "I know nothing about you. For all I know. you're a kind and decent
man. I'm sure you managed a divorce. But I am sure...l would stake my
life...you are not in the Party." (Hare 23)

Not deterred. Sophia asks for her mother's help In speeding up the
painfully slow divorce process. which Involves publishing a noflce In the
newspaper and proving "necessity." Her necessity. Sophia claims. Is to be
free. Once again the two women argue the qualities of freedom. this
time Involving a third party. Peter.

"Grigor's not free." Valentina tells Sophia. "You're not free. Child.
you've lived thirty-six years. How can you be so naive?" (Hare 25) She
tells her daughter there Is no such thing as freedom. but Sophia recalls her
mother's tales of countless lovers and her happy life In Paris. In stark

contrast. when asked his belief about freedom Peter admits. "I don't

87

know. I'm pressed to make a living. Half goes to my ex-wife. My children
are grown-up. They work In a factory making bottles. One's doing quite
well. The other was born a bit slaw. So I am always thinking of him. Most
days. Most hours. I'm not an expert on freedom." (Hare 25)

Info hls seemingly dreary existence. however. some hope has
dawned. He tells Valenflna. "I find myself nearly sixty-three. And...never
really had the chance to take a risk In my life. What else Is there now for
me but Sophia?" (Hare 25-26) Peter's late optimism establishes another
contrast In the play. While earlier It seemed that Valenfina's jadedness
compared to Sophia was a result of having lived longer. Peter's capacity
for hope so late In life suggests that her blttemess Is more the result of
experience.

"Love Is paln." Valentina argues. "Am I right? Look at you now.
You're In torture. You shift from one foot to another...You're forever taking
sldelong glances at her. checking up on her. seeing she approves of
everything you say. Thinking all the time. how does this go down with
Sophia? In fiction It makes me laugh when books end with two people
coming together. Curtalnl At last they fall Into one another's armsl The
reader applauds. But that‘s where books should really begin. This fantasy
that love solves probiemsl Love makes you row. It strips the skin from
you." She maintains that committment and responsibility should govern
their acflons. "Chuck out everything." she says. "Husband. Jobs. Children.
Girgor. Yes. Destroy Grigor's life. For a bet placed by two shivering
tramps at the racetrack. And there's nothing guaranteed at the end.
People should stick. They should sflck with what they have. With what
they know. That's character." (Hare 26-27)

88

When Valentina ends her flrade and complains that her tea has not
yet arrived. Sophia welcomes the chance to go get It for her. leaving her
alone with Peter. The discussion that follows between the suitor and his
potential mother-ln-Iaw. evenly matched In years. Is noticeably less
edged than their inlflal encounter. For awhile they banter genially.
Valenflna describing Paris and Matisse. and relating anecdotes about
famous painters and their work. When Sophia returns, however. she is
disturbed to find that Peter did not broach the subject she left him to
bring up: whether Valenflna would help them financially.

By now. Valenflna has drawn on a number of tactics to discourage
the unlikely couple from their plans. She still insists neither of them has the
courage or stamina to follow through with the arduous task of rebuilding
their lives. Saphla. though. sends her mother down another path by
asking her to recount the story of her daughter's birth for Peter. She
explains. "I was a wayward woman—that's the word. I lay around In beds.
in studios. with men. smoking too much and thinking. shall I grow my hair?
I had a child. Oh. I was like Gorkl"s mother. who stopped for fifteen
minutes on a peasants" march to give birth in a ditch. Then she ran to
catch up with the marchers...l had my Iitfle Sophia In an atelier In the
Marals. with two jugs of hot water and a homosexual friend who delivered
her. And then I thought-well. Is this If? this lounging about? this thinking
only of yourself? this—what word should I use-freedom? Having a child
changed everything. I suddenly decided that Paris was meaningless.
Indulgence only. I had a Russian daughter. I had to come home." (Hare
39)

She explains that regardless of the consequences In Russia. which

Included not being able to pursue her talent as a painter because of the

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predominance of Soviet Socialist Realism. she felt exile would be
cowardly. Ulfimately. her defense of her acfions Is less patrlofic and
Communist. and more simply Ufilitarian. She sincerely believes In the
greater good for the greater number of people. "My life Is not happy."
she says. "But it would also be unhappy if I'd been cowardly. Your life 15
defined by an absence. by what Is not happening. by where you can't
be. You think all the fime about "me". Oh 'me'l Oh 'me'l The endless 'me'
whotakes over. 'Me' becomes everything. Oh "I' decided. The self-
dramafizafion. Tumlng your life Into a crusade. A crusadein which you
claim equal status with Russia. On the one hand. the whole of Russia.
millions of square miles. On the other. 'I' think and 'I' feel. The battle is
unequal. That kind of self-advertisement. It seemed to me wrong. And
dangerous...l wasn't a communist. I know what has happened since. I'm
sfill not a communist. How could I be? But I made a decision." (Hare 40)

Once again the seeming distasteful antagonist in Hare's writing
exhibits sympathetic qualifies late In the play and seems to speak for the
playwright. Uke Mehta's silky smooth refinery in AMQELQLtDQJALQLIQ and
Lambert LeRoux's stampedlng charisma in Ereydg. Valentino's difficult
past. her life of contradlcfions. serves to validate. or at least explain. her
difficult demeanor. The focus has shifted temporarily from the quesfion of
Sophia's happiness to that of Valenfina's.

Having expended his usefulness In the mother—daughter debate.
Peter makes arrangements to meet with Sophia later In the week and
excuses himself. once again leaving the women alone. Understanding
what Sophia needs from her now—two thousand roubles to pay for the
court costs of her dlvorce—Valenfina offers one final objecfion concerning

her husband. "Have you thought of the effect the divorce will have on

90

him?" she asks. "A Party member? You're a private cifizen. Love In a small
flat. it's nobody"s business. But Grigor—he will lose posifion. Influence.
Friends. He will be discredited. It's a sign of failure."

"Well. I can't live with the Party anymore." Sophia responds. "I've
always known...after all. In my profession I work with young people. I
spread Ideas. I can't be considered for promotion unless I am also willing
to join. The moment is looming when they will ask me. This way the
moment will never arrive." (Hare 42-43)

With the final element. the pollfical element. resolved. Valenfina
finally relents and agrees to raise the money Sophia needs. not for her.
she claims. but for the children. Before leaving. Sophia asks her mother
for an embrace. ls refused. and must move to the stolid woman herself.
Her final words of warning to her daughter are. "Whatever you do. this
fime you must live with It." to which Sophia responds. "Yes. I've learnt that
from you." (Hare 46)

All that 15 left after Sophia's exit 15 the matter of the palnfing. which
remains shrouded In a corner of the room. Alone. In the only obligatory
scene of the play. Valenfina picks up the canvas. briefly examines It. then.
as her eyes fill with tears. puts It down again. When the Assistant Curator
returns for her verdict she tells him It Is indeed a Mafisse. but not the first in
a series as the museum suspected. "There was nothing In the foreground.
so you assumed this Is where he started." she tells him. "Then later he put In
the woman. Or the violin. But no. It was the opposite. He removed the
woman. He sought to dlsfil." She explains further. "He said that finally he
didn't need a model. Finally he didn't even need paint. He was there.

He was a person. Present. And that was enough." (Hare 47)

91

The playwright‘s final dlrecfions suggest that "The background fades
and the stage Is filled with the Image of the bay at Nice: a pair of open
French windows. a balcony. the sea and the sky." (Hare 48) In the end
Matlsse"s painting. "The Bay of Nice." holds several Important meanings for
Valenflna. The actual canvas and frame are a physical reminder of her
distant past. a time when she held the potential to be Ideallsfic and free.
Mafisse's attitude toward his art suggests a reverence for the Individual. for
the self. that Valenfina. through her life of sacrifice. remembers but no
longer feels. Finally. the artist's "disfillafion" of his subject. removing the
woman from the scene. mirrors Valenfina's own withdrawl from life and.

literally. from the stage.

While the settings for IheBgLamlce and Meekedfiaas could

hardly be more dissimilar. the two plays share many of the same themafic
offerings. Set in the present day in upstate New York. the second one act
Is a three-hander about a WASPIsh couple. Idenfified only as Robbie and
Loella. who have decided to divorce and are throwing a party to honor
their separafion. Grace. the only guest to arrive at their "ceiebrafion" Is a
recent acquaintance who proves to be a worthy character foil and
catalyst for the single. simple dramafic acfion of the play: getting the
couple back together.

Uke InenggLMee. Wreekedfiggs uses the Infimate. personal
turmolls of Its principals to comment on wider soclo-pollfical Issues.
Though It may not be Immediately recognizable. the structure and style of
the plays 15 another return to Shavian qualifies. Plot. In the Aristotelian
sense. ls of secondary Importance to theme. Christopher Edwards noted.

"Taken together the plays represent interesting essays in a genreuthe play

92

of Ideas—that English playwrights do not usually handle well at all. Both
examine the confilcfing demands of personal fulfilment and responsibility:

themes that confirm Hare to be a moralist." (Edwards 48)

W begins In the living room of Robbie and Loelia's
country home In upstate New York near the Hudson River. The dramafic
acfion—reunlfing Robbie and Loelia-is not announced unfil quite late.
nearly a third of the way through the play. Most of the dialogue and
"acfion" at the beginning. then. ls seemingly mundane conversation that
shapes the characters' personallfies and introduces the themes Hare Is
Interested In.

Uke Valenfina and Sophia In W. the characters of
Wreckedjggs are highly educated and opinionated. Each is able to
comment on a wide variety of subjects. allowing the playwright great
freedomof Ideas. The themes in the first play dealt largely with fimeless.
universal Issues-freedom versus responsibility. familial allegiance. the
nature of art—and several of these are picked up In We}: but
there Is an added element of more specifically contemporary concerns.
The playwright confinues some of the axe-grinding over 19805 greed and
self-centeredness that he began In Page. only this fime it Is
Reaganomlcs rather than Thatcherlsm that bears the brunt of his crifique.
Setting the play In New York was an obvious tacfical choice. for there Is a
noficeable urge to pique the conscience of the United States at work.
bordering on anfi-Amerlcanness. The result ls sfill a steady mixture of
personal and pollfical. but In an altogether different milieu. '

As the lights rise Robbie is In the middle of telling Grace a story

about a man with two wives who was recenfiy run down by a truck as he

93

was leaving a laundromat. The tale segues Into talk of Robbie's ideal
woman. Grace's recent abortion and her "ridiculous fertility." various
methods of contracepfion. and other matters of sex and relafionships.
The first sign of trouble comes when Grace tells the couple. "Somerset
Maugham said that half his schoolfriends had devoted themselves to
career. and half to seducing women. And at sixty the ones who had
spent their lives chasing women did not seem noficeably deprived of
happiness." (Hare WLQQKQSLEQQS 56)

Abrupfly. Robbie changes the course of the conversafion away
from women and relafionshlps and toward careers. He suggests that as a
lawyer he ls too busy to spend his flme pursuing women. "My nut Is one
hundred thousand dollars." he says. "That‘s what I need every year just to
maintain our apartment and...l really have to work pretty hard. Loella has
to work...We both have to work. just to live In Manhattan. keep this place.
I'm at the office most evenings. Preparing a brief. Just to hit that nut." To
which Loella revealingly adds. "That's before he even gets on to pleasure.
Pleasure's extra for Robbie." (Hare 56)

The difference between the hosts. with their home In Manhattan
and getawaycottage In the countryside. and their guest is apparent
when Robbie questions Grace about her finances. "What's your nut?" he
asks. "Your monme outgoing? Just to stand sfill?" She responds. "Do you
know...l have no Idea. I'm In a cash business. It's all entertaining...Little bits
of money In fin cans. I find dimes In my shoes and dollars In between
pages of the books I'm reading." (Hare 57)

These early problngs of Independent economic status become a
running motif through the play. To some degree each character's

personality. opinions. and poslfion are colored by his or her holdings and

94

views on wealth. Grace 15 undoubtedly less well off and her
corresponding views of the gliteratfi are appropriately cynical. Her
position ls made all the more Ironic by her job as a press agent.

Grace's business allows Hare to use a few choice barbs that
apparently could not find their way Into flame. Citing the epitome of
19805 sensiblllfies. she tells Robbie and Loella that newspapers decide
what to put In their pages mainly by the criteria of success. "Reading
about success Is the new pornography." she explains. "If we had censors In
this country and their job was to cut every article which uses the word
"survivor". If they cut every word about success. If they out every word
about the rich and their apartments. and what they eat. and what they
sit on. and what they have on their walls. and where they go In the
summer. and what other rich people they're sharing their beds with. and
why we should envy them. and why we should think they are wonderful
people really. or In spite of It. or because of it, and how exactiy they
made It. and why they made It and other people didn't. and what
incredible pressure they have to put up with. and what a bore It Is to be
recognized. and how difficult It Is once you're successful to go on being
successful. If we cut every article which lmplies what's successful must be
good. if we just said sorry-press censorship-this Is Russia-none of that may
appear...Then this is the form in which you would get your average
morning paper." (Hare 58) To Illustrate her point she pulls from her bag an
"edited" copy of the Times that Is shredded almost to nothingness.

In another strange twist of conversafion. talk changes from the
media back to contracepfive devices. Loella excialms. "I read Robbie's
rubbers." and reopens discussion of various ways to avoid pregnancy.

Amld observafions of the Romans' methods of avoiding concepfion

95

(Grace notes they used half an orange) Robbie again becomes
uncomfortable and takes the first opportunity to change the subject with
another anecdote. This fime the subject 15 the Japanese. He says. "I
read...there was this Captain. On a container ship. A couple of Toyotas
fell off Into the sea. He feels he's responsible. So he kills himself. I mean. i
don't understand this behaviour. It puzzles me. It seems excessive. It
seems foreign."

Grace and Loella join In. bashing the enemy of the 19805
businessman. "It's hell to deal with them." Grace says. "They think saying
no to people Is rude. That means If you have to do business. there's three
days of saying yes all the time. Then finally the fourth they will say. er
there Is a slight problem. You see. they think it's Impollte to disagree. That
can make life pretty laborious." Loella adds. "The ones I don't get are the
ones who are so desperate to die. When Hirohlto surrendered...l"ve seen
this newwsreel. all these Japanese soldiers at the end of the war. and
they're all weeping and wailing and falling on each others" necks. and just
gushing. because they're not going to have their chance to get killed."
(Hare 60-61)

Finally seeing his chance to work what 15 really troubling hlm Into the
conversation. Robbie tells Loella. "You're always saying you don't go
anywhere. Now you'll be able to. You can go to Japan." and explains to
the puzzled Grace. "Oh I see. no. I didn't menfion. Loella and l are going
to split up." (Hare 61)

With Robbie's announcement. the random pre-dlnner conversation
becomes more focused and nearly everything that Is said from this point
on relates to Robbie and Loella and their dissolving relafionshlp. He

explains the Idea of the party was his. "I always think in this country we

96

don't know how to perform rites of passage." he says. "We don't know
how to mark them. We're very bad. All the important moments. Birth.
Marriage. Death. obviously. In other cultures. people know how to
handle them. They have rituals." (Hare 62)

Though Robbie's comment could easily apply to most English-
speaking countries. Hare's remarks about American society to the press
and In speaking engagements. whilenot labeling him an "Amerlphobe."
do reveal a certain disdain for what he perceives as vacuity In American
culture. In a speech for English Uterature students at Notre Dame In 1988.
Hare noted his theory that "America's gift Is for the aesthefic. not for the
moral arts. I am arguing that It Is no coincidence that America has the
greatest ballet and modern architecture In the world. that as a nation it
cares desperately about how things look and feel and sound. but that
when It comes to those arts which are most concerned with the quesfion
of how people behave. or possibly how they ought to behave. America is
not exactly a world beater." (Hare "A Sfint at Notre Dame" 127)

It is revealed that Robbie and Loella had Invited a number of
people to the gathering. but the notice was so informal that only Grace.
who Loella just met the week before. showed up. The couple seem to be
taking their Imminent estrangement very well. In keeping with the nature
of their relafionship to this point. both began preparafion fora huge
dinner for the occasion without Informing the other. Robbie lit the
barbecue and Loella prepared soft-shelled crabs and veal.

Neither seems angry or spiteful. When the menu error 15 discovered
they are both complimentary. Robbie praises Loella as an excellent cook

and lauds her cinnamon croissants. while she returns the favor. saying. "He

97

cooks like an angel. He does a cajun stew with gulf prawns and okra that
breaks my heart every fime i eat It." (Hare 64)

Nor does the extreme civility they show one another seem to be a
mask for more tawdry feelings a la 3033mm. As they recount their
earliest days as a couple for Grace—their meefing and courfing-there is
genuine fondness In their reminiscences. Paired with Sophia's sad
abandonment of her husband. Grigor. In W. the genfie
rationality of Robbie and Loella In planning their parting reveals a mulfi-
faceted understanding of human relationships. Whether one scenario or
the other can be afirIbuted to Hare's own divorce experience. It is
obvious he perceives a wide range of factors-intellectual. emofional.
and moral—that affect such proceedings.

Social commentary Is still mingled with the story of Robbie and
Loelia's relafionshlp. confinuing the merger of personal and political.
When Loella agaln brings up the subject of money and work ethics.
Grace suggests It is only the wealthy who can afford to be cavalier about
their jobs. to just walk away from day-to-day troubles. She recognizes a
certain lmmorallty about her job In public relafions. saying. "The job I do Is
absurd...And yet I collect a salary. I eat. I prosper. l decorate the office.
With my nice skirts. and my smile. And because I'm reasonably smart and
one step ahead. although I disdain what I'm doing. I don't get fired."
(Hare 66)

Robbie. now proving himself a wide-ranging pundit. offers some
sage remarks about money. employment. and sacrifices. "Nobody's job Is
satisfying." he says. It can't be. All the fime. You work to make money. If
you make money. your job Is a success. It‘s as simple as that...And when

you make money then your job begins to seem Interesfing—there you are-

98

-lt's a two-way thing. Not every job can be Interesfing. It's Impossible.
There's a lot of shitty work. What's nice about money ls when you get It. It
speaks to you. It says 'What you do Is shitty: now here's a reward." Money
doesn't bullshit. that's what‘s so good about It. money Is...well. the great
thing Is...money ls straight." (Hare 67)

Just as Robbie Is on the edge of becoming one of the wealth-
crazed brokers from Caryl Churchill's W or the next
Lambert LeRoux. Hare allows some moderation to creep Into his oratory.
"Quality of life Is something else." he observes. "It's to do with good taste.
And judgement. And there's relationships."

On the subject of relationships. Grace provides the significance of
the play's fifie. Referring to their seemingly smooth relafionshlp. she tells
Robbie and Loella. "I mean. ten years and you're smiling and laughing.
and having a good time. And cooking two dinners. Neither of them
eggs...With me It's eggs always. I say to myself. 'How do you want "em?
Fried. boiled or wrecked?" "Oh hell. just wreck "em." I say. With you It's real
dinners." (Hare 70)

She confinues further. taking the couples' relafionshlp beyond the
Immediate company and Into the larger societal realm of the "805: You
have this nice home. You have flowers. You have trees. and In some
way. I can tell. It's all real to you...lt comforts you...And I can't get that
comfort. You know. you come in here. you look at these things—that '
bookshelf. that record player. this sofa. you think. right. these are people
to whom the comforts of life are actually real." (Hare 70)

But. Grace explains. she cannot enjoy these things because she Is
not a part of the conspicuous consumption culture that Robbie and

Loella belong to. "I'm a herefic." she says. "I don't want a pick-up truck.

99

Ora satellite dish on the side of the house." Her remarks are not an overt
condemnafion of her friends' lifestyle. She Is not a nouveau beatnik
advocating voluntary simplicity. just an acquaintance volunteering her
perspecfive.

Robbie. however. too long Immersed In his earn-and-spend way of
life. Is amazed. "But "things" are surely...in a way they're what you work
for." he tells Grace. "Shit. I'm working five days a week. Most evenings I'm
working. Even these weekends-which are meant to be what I work for-
l'm bringing back work with me...l don't see what's wrong with that."
(Hare 71)

The clvlllty of the occasion begins to get strained as Robbie
becomes more Impassloned about the various subjects the group tackles.
Loella Insists on recounting some of the earliest episodes In their
relafionshlp. back In the days. she says. When "If I saw anything In jeans. I
fucked It." (Hare 73) Finally. exasperated. Robbie reveals the reason for
his Increasing discomfort. "That's the dishonesty." he tells Loella. "I don't
know why you're so desperate to split." (Hare 79)

Shorfiy afterwards. Robbie leaves the women alone while he takes
a dip In the pool. and Loella Is free to explain a few things to Grace. The
most Important revelation doesn't concern their dislntegrafing marriage.
but Robbie's father. Her husband. Loella explains. is the son of a famous
American spy. "He's not Robbie Baker." she says. "He's the son of Bill
Dvorak. Remember?"

The figures Hare seems to have modeled the ficfional Dvorak on
are Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Uke the Rosenbergs. Bill Dvorak was
accused of disclosing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. Also like the

real-life Cold Warriors. his acflons were defended as not anfi-Amerlcan.

100

but pro-something else. Unlike his counterparts. however. Dvorak was not
executed. but survives as an embittered reminder to his son of what can
go wrong In American democracy.

This. seemingly. is the most important function the unseen character
of Robbie's father serves—to explain some of Robbie's earlier opinions and
actions. and place his future behavior In a new light. He claims that the
reasons he changed his name and broke off communicafions with his
father were not poiifical. but personal. "I disliked him as a person." he tells
Grace. "That's my objecfion. I don't care what he did. as you'd say. He
was a puritan. He was also a snob. He used the word "uprlght'. He
disapproved of how ordinary people lived. He was from Maryland. he
thought himself superior. In the civil service. so he thought he knew best.
How to direct people's lives...He always had some epxert rafionale. That's
why he did what he did. Because he alone understood. He claimed to
understand the need to defuse the cold war better than anyone."

Robbie's early life was lnextricably entangled with his father's
polifics. "I hated all the stupid meetings." he confinues. "And pamphlets. l
was paraded to Idiots who thought he shouldn't go to jail. They were so
stupid they assumed I'd agree with them. That was my childhood." (Hare
86-87)

Robbie's childhood. Hare now seems to suggest. Is at least partly
responsible for his current ethics and lifestyle. Besides being caught up in
a nafional (and. Indeed. intemationai) fervor for advancement and
acquisitions. Rabble has the addlfional burden of defining and jusfifylng
his Americanness. At this point In the play Hare returns to his criticism of
what he perceives as the American way of life and attempts to offer an

explanafion for It.

101

Admittedly. on this subject the playwright's words in the mouths of
his characters. especially Robbie. somefimes seem cliche. But.
intermingled with the play's other Ideas. they provide an Interesfing
outside perspecfive. American virtues. as ascribed to the country's
founding fathers and expounded In elementary classrooms the land over.
are tallied one at a fime In explaining Robbie's outlook and the way It has
colored his marriage.

"My atfitude Is this." he tells his wife and guest. "do something. Pay
for It. Take If like a man. Don't start squealing. If you betray your
government. fine. But be ready for the consequences." His oration on
self-reliance confinues. like something drawn from a polifical platform
speech. "That's why I love this country. The right to start again. The right
to acquire a new name. Cross out the past. Start over. That seems to me
a very basic thing." (Hare 87)

His patriofism extends so far that It Is the source of the only crificlsm
he offers of Loella. "There's no flag in you." he tells her. to which she
responds. "Robbie stands there at baseball. he's got a hot dog In one
hand. he's got popcorn In the other. he's got an extra large Diet Sprite
with french fries on the side. and he's shoufing 'Klll the umpire'. And I think.
does he mean this? This Is just a charade." (Hare 88-89)

Now. too. Robbie's earlier pride In the amount of work he does Is
seen differenfiy. Not just a means of making more and more money. the
labor he performs. whether wrlfing briefs and arguing for juries or building
his home. Is also an assertion of his Independent roots. After Robbie
leaves fora trip to the market. Loella tells Grace. "You have to say. why
are these steaks so delicious? Because Robbie put In every brick of the
barbecue himself." (Hare 89)

102

Her allegiance. however. does not run as deep. "Americal Shltl"
she declares. "I pracfically have to run the stars and stripes up the
flagpole before I'm allowed to go to the john. You know In this country
there's meant to be freedom. Freedoml Isn't that It? So why are we now
all pretending to believe the same thing?" (Hare 90)

Robbie's American enthusiasm. whether sincerely felt or a facade
to cover the shame and anger he feels about his childhood. has
contributed to the breakup of his marriage. Ironically. though. the "rights"
Robbie reveres as an American citizen are the very ones Loella demands-
-especlally the pursuit of happiness. Like Sophia in W. she
feels privileged to demand more from her life. "I was born In Milton.
Nebraska." she explains. "They told me I'd be happy. I think I've got a right
to do something else...l was meant to be happy. I'm a happy sort of girl.
Instead of which...l don't know. I'm confused. I'm angry. We have to keep
moving. He has to keep working. I have to keep whacking balls round
the ocurt. When we stop. we don't know what to do. If there's a pause. If
there's a silence. then we fill It. We work. We make love. To cover the
quiet bits. I've paced round his problems. Uke a prison-yard. I've walked
round for years. I know every Inch of the ground. Well. can I have some
new ground? Am I allowed that? Aren't I enfitled?" (Hare 92)

Certainly the anxiety and empfiness that Loella describes afflicts
every long-term relafionshlp at one fime or another. regardless of
geography. In this context. though. their restlessness and her
dlssafisfacfion seem to be a peculiar American angst.

Regardless of her despair. Grace suggests the couple should stay
together. Though she. herself. doesn't follow her own advice and sfick to

relafionshlps. she tells Loella she sees resolute qualifies In them that can

103

outlast their difficulfies. "Loyalty. courage. Perseverance." she says. "If you
don't use them. you're going to feel lousy." (Hare 93)

And with these simple words Grace turns the fide. When Robbie
returns from the store (with more groceries than the entire group of their
absent guests could ever consume) Loella calls him Into their bedroom for
a private talk. telling Grace "I'm staying fill Tuesday." (Hare 94)

The play's ending 15 ambivalent. There Is some cause to think that
Robbie and Loella might remain together. at least for awhile. However. In
Hare's work It Is not the quanfity. or durafion. of a relationship that proves
Its success. but its quality. Again. the playwright Is more Interested In the
truth of the matter than In maintaining acceptable social customs. On
the other hand. there Is no guarantee that the union will endure past
Loella's new deadline.

Either way. their marriage 15 not the most Important topic In
Wreekegfiggs. any more than Sophia's divorce Is In W. In
both works. the dynamics of the relafionships and the participants
Involved are vehicles for larger Ideas that transcend the immediacy of
personal crisis. locafion. and naflonallty. Questions of freedom. Integrity.
and communal Idenfity are what the playwright pursues through

polifically personal lives.

Though the double bill was given a typical producfion run In the
Cottesloe. sixty-three performances. It did not receive much publicity and
played to only a lltfie over 12.000 people. about a quarter of Hare's usual
audience at the Naflonal Theatre. It sfill managed to find Its admirers
among London reviewers. not all of whom could agree on which play
they liked the most. WrIfing about W In a Times Uterary

104

Supplement arficle called "Culture and Consumpfion." Julian Graffy
noted. "Hare's concerns transcend his context. and his eloquence and wit
provide an absorbing variafion." Graffy Is less convinced. however. by
W. largely due to the treatment of its foreign characters.
"Hare writes about Europeans and Americans. about deprivafion and
excess. culture and consumpfion." the reviewer observed. "For a
European audience It Is unsurprising. perhaps even lnifially flattering to
find his Americans trite and vulgar. his Europeans Intense and complex.
but, to quote Hare. "Is It right?" One cannot help noticing that the dice
are loaded. The main Russian protagonists are an artist and her teacher
daughter: the American couple a lawyer and his tennis coach wife. The
Russian sanitafion engineer responds with radiant joy to talk of Mafisse.
Would Hare let his American equivalent do likewise?" For Graffy. "The
doggedly cliched view of Americans. unengaglngly vulgarlan In the
pursuit of sensation. casts doubt upon Hare's whole enterprise. The Bay of
Nice (sic) alone Is a more satisfying offering than with Wrecked Eggs to
follow." (Graffy 1064)

Others. though. preferred Hare's American comedy-drama. In Plays
International John Elsom wrote. "Wrecked Eggs is the more appealing.
being witty about contemporary society. which Hare knows. In a manner
clearly Impossible when wrlfing about Leningrad In the 19505." (Elsom 25)
A frequent Hare supporter. Michael Billington added in The Guardian.
"What makes Wrecked Eggs a better play Is that It clearly springs from
direct observafion and that. through the character of the press agent. It
focuses on real moral dilemmas: how to hold on to a belief In right and

wrong In a materiallsfic world. whether to opt for the dignity of solitude or

105

the pleasures of commitment." (Billington "Rev. of BQLQLNJQQ and
W

Even those who did not parficularly enjoy the plays grudgingly
found elements to admire. In Plays and Players Kenneth Hurren wrote.
"(Hare Is) In no hurry to get to the point but Is off up a succession of
byways. very few of which lead even circuitously back to the main road.
and the Impression Is of ambIIng along genially to nowhere In particular.
It Is not unamuslng. The superficial small-talk produces a crop of flip
eplgrams which. God knows. are not to be despised: If you had this sort
of chatter at your dinner-table twice or thrice a 'year you'd be lucky.
Those would be the occasions when the hand-picked guests come along
with all their lines rehearsed. just hoping to steer the conversafion Into the
right cues." (Hurren 21) ’

Uke flame. this producfion also contained a personality crifics
were drawn to. Prominent American-bom. London-based actress Irene
Worth. whose career with the Old Vic and early Nafional Theatre under
Laurence Olivier. as well as performances across the Atlantic In New York
and Stratford had established her as one of Britain's premiere actresses.
played the role of Valenfina Nrovka. Christopher Edwards In The
Spectator observed. "Certainly Irene Worth. with her haughty disdain for
cant and moral fudge. succeeds In eamlng our respect. Here is a fine
classical actress creafing a character of severe moral grandeur through
whom Hare can challenge a prevailing Idea of 'freedom'." (Edwards 47)
In the Sunday Times John Peter echoed Edwards. saying. "I shall never
forget Irene Worth as she finally gazes at the painting. her face bathed In

a halo of proud. lonely. superhuman transfigurafion." (Peter 51)

106

From a dramafic literature standpoint. W and
Wreekedjggs. while obvious deviafions from Hare's usual style. are
nonetheless valid dramafic entertainments. Though they may not satisfy
those readers and audience members in search of the playwright's usual
sweeping epic structure and grand political statements. they are still
compelling theatre. as crifical response has Indicated.

Perhaps most lmportantly In terms of Hare's development of style.
these two one acts. along with his next play. IbeSeeLeLRgemLe.
represent the most private of Hare's polifically personal works. In terms of
characters and staging. they are the most Infimate of his plays since 1979.
and balance only near the edge of provocafion. They neither Iampoon.
like the 1985 Ergyfig. or dissect and crlfique. like his trilogy of Insfitutlonal
plays that were produced In the opening years of the 905.

As John Peter noted. "David Hare's‘two new one-acters are political
plays In the sense that lbsen's plays are political plays: they turn their
searchllght on the power struggles and the morality of personal
commitment. I actually think that this Is what he's best at. We have had
quite a few pollfical plays recenfiy. after years of grumbling that there
weren't any: but the fact is that most English playwrights do not have the
pure dlalecfical passion of the French and Germans. and their natural
batfiefieid Is not the public confrontation but the private tussle. These two
plays are lntensely private. but their resonances are vast." (Peter 51) '

Brlfish writers like Howard Brenton. Edward Bond. and Howard Barker
might argue a case for "dialectical passion" In the hearts of English
dramafists. but Peter's point Is largely valid. In IneBgygLNjee and
WLeekegjggs Hare confinues the Brifish tradifion of the "private tussle"

107

found in the plays of Shaw and Wilde. yet Intimates that grander social

criticism might be afoot.

108

The Secret Rapture

The interaction of private lives and public politics that Hare sought

to delicately balance In Ibeflaxgfliice and W995 Is even more

poignantly noticeable In his next play. W. which opened
In the Natlonal's Lyttelton Theatre on October 4. I988. The title evokes

religious significance. "In Catholic theology." Hare noted. "the "secret
rapture" Is the moment when the nun will become the bride of Christ: so It
means death. or love of death. or death under life." (Hare "Love, Death
and Edwina" 38)

In this work. all three meanings seem to apply. W
concerns two daughters whose father has Just died. leaving them to care
fora distraught stepmother approximately their own age. The siblings are
Marlon French. a Tory Junior Environment Minister. and Isobel Glass. co-
partner In a graphic design firm. Marion. like Robbie and Loella in
W and Lambert LeRoux in Pravda. epitomizes l980$ greed
and selfishness and. assumedly. Conservative Party hard-heartedness.

Isobel. on the other hand. ls kind, virtuous. and self-effaclng. In the
London of Mrs. Thatcher's second term. Hare suggests. she is an anomaly.
Her beneficience Is pitted against the designs of her sister. lover. and
friends when Katherine. the uneducated. boorlsh. alcoholic widow of her
dead father ls thrust upon her as a responsibility following the patriarch's
Interment. In short order. Isobel loses her business. her boyfriend and.
ultimately. her life. to her charge. becoming. by play's end. not Just a nun

figure facing death. but an actual martyr.

109

Thematlcally. the play is Hare's most refined attack on the social
and political climate of Britain under Margaret Thatcher's Ministry. ELQMQQ
highlighted the excesses of the press and multimillionaire business tycoons

with lnternafional ramifications. Magma. Mice and
Wm. while indicating trouble on the homefront. utilized foreign

characters and settings. W. though. is purely and
unabashedly British.

Matt Wolf. wrlttng for American Theatre magazine. placed the play
In the context of other works. a sort of dramatic anti-Thatcher movment.
He wrote. "While The Secret Rapture may be the most high-profile and
salable play yet to examine the Thatcherite zeitgeist. it's just one of many
recent works to advance an irony central to contemporary British culture:
whereas Thatcher's Conservative government may have an inlmlcal
attitude toward the arts. as shown by lower levels of state subsidy and
publicly voiced disinterest. that same attitude is prodding British
playwrights towards a sustained and aesthetically challenging output that
might never have happened without her. Difficult politics. in other words.
has become the stuff of provocative art."

letlng several contributors to this ongoing crificism of the British
political machine. filmmakers such as Derek Jarman (The Last of England).
Stephen Frears. and Hanlf Kurelshl (My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy
and Rosie Get Laid). and writers like Bob Clark (Rita. Sue and Bob. Too).
Wolf continues, "its the theatre that has responded most frequently. and
sometimes most subtly. to the undeniable shift that has taken place since
May 3. 1979. when the Oxford-educated grocer‘s daughter began
staking her claim to her present status as the longest continuously serving

leader in the Western world. The predominant tone taken by dramatists

HO

is. as might be expected. harsh. with left-wing writers lashing out at the
loss of morality and scruples that have accompanied Mrs. Thatcher's antl-
welfarist. pro-business stance." (Wolf "Thanks a Lot. Mrs. Thatcher" 50)

Hare has admitted being piqued by the Thatcher govemment"s
advocafion of predatory business ethics. and even attributed the genesis
of this play to an experience with Tory supporters. He explained. "At
dinner I was laughed at because I didn't have any stocks and shares. I
said when I had money I put It in the bank. and everyone roared with
laughter. Ten years ago In England nobody had Investments. That's all
changed. The assumption that everyone will make as much money as
they can and spend a lot of fime doing it Is new In England. The feelings
of total Inadequacy I had for not being part of this interested me. and I
gave them to Isobel. And I'm proud to say. even having written the play. I
still have no Investments." (Bloom 33)

W Is difficult to categorize. Uke most of Hare's
other works the play ls divided into two acts. each with several scenes
and locales. It Is a hybrid of comedy and drama. lampoonery and
dogma. John Turner observed In the Times Uterary Supplement. "Is It
political satire? Probably not. though politicians are satirlzed roundly and
It pokes about the Issues in contemporary debate. Is it a comedy of
contemporary manners? Yes and no: full, frequent. and enthusiastic
enunciation of "fuck" speaks for yes. but the absence of any cheap
stereotypes beyond pollficlans and graphic designers—creatures of the
T9605 and 19703 surely—suggests no. Is It timeless tragedy? Up to a point.
but nothing ls absolutely timeless which can nail the deformed personality
of a female Conservative minister so convincingly to the fioor...As a

playwright Hare seems to find It difficult to resist the temptation to set

HI

intellectual puzzles. If this play seems to be an uneasy hybrid of Ibsen and
Serious Money. he must bear some of the responsibility." (Turner 1 MB)

The playwright himself agreed consensus on Rgmee's worth was
elusive. though he was willing to label It more definitely. "It's either the
Great Play or a load of old tosh." he remarked In an interview In the
Toronto Star. "I think It Is a very unusual play for the moment. There has
been an awful lot about the economic consequences of Thatcherlsm In
England and there's been brilliant work...about the effect of Thatcherlsm
on peOpIe"s lives. But there's been very little about the psychology of
Thatcherlsm. For some reason. she's generated very little fiction and
there's been no real studies of the mentality of the people around her
and what they want. It Is an unfashlonable play In that it Is a tragedy. We
don't have many plays with heroines or many tragedies in England at the
moment. It Is commonly said that It's not possible to write a tragedy
nowadays and I was Interested to see whether it was." (Crew F3)

Hare's study of the mentality of Thatcherites In W,
as Wolf noted. is what provides the play with its extreme topical
Importance. Yet fimeiess concerns are not neglected. As has already
been mentioned. Hare is often concerned with the nature of goodness In
his plays and‘chooses women to portray virtuous characters. since that Is
where he believes decency resides. Susan In Bloom. Peggy In A_Mgp_9_t
meflgnd. and Rebecca In fluids: are Just a few of Hare's heroines who
attempt problty In declining moral climates. In W. Isobel
Is the sum of all that have come before her. straining harder for virtue.

and finally being consumed and destroyed by her passion for goodness.

H2

The opening Image of the play symbolizes all that follows. In a
darkened room Isobel Is seated at the foot of her father's deathbed.
observing a peaceful moment with the enshrouded. deceased man. A
door to the room opens and the darkness and silence are broken by her
sister. Marion. whose presence is obviously an uncomfortable intrusion for
both women. Isobel explains her pious vigil. saying. "i decided this would
be the only place. For some quiet. There's so much screaming
downstairs." and muses about their father's last moments, telling Marion.
"There's actually a moment when you see the spirit depart from the body.
I've always been told about It. And It's true. Like a bird." (Hare 11313qu
RQQILILQ 1)

Though her Initial reason for coming to the room seems to be to see
her father for a final time. or to commiserate with her sibling, Marion soon
reveals her actual Intentions are more materially oriented. She has come
to recover a ring she gave her father shortly before his death. Though
Isobel doesn't condemn or even comment on her actions. Marlon still
feels the need to defend herself. "For God's sake. I mean the ring is
actually valuable." she excialms. "Actually. no, that sounds horrid. I
apologize. ill tell you the truth. I thought when I bought it—l lust walked
into this very expensive shop and I thought. this Is one of the few really
decent things i‘ve done In my life. And It's true. I spent. as It happens. a
great deal of money. rather more...rather more than I had at the time. i
went over the top. I wanted something to express my love for my father.
Something adequate." (Hare 3)

Of course. adequacy Is all her gift could buy. Compared to Isabel's
devotion. which led her to remain by her father's side throughout his final

days and comfort him at his death. when his wife and Marion refused

113

even to visit. the gesture was a shallow attempt at purchasing feeling.
made more useless by her subsequent retrieval of the ring. Though Isobel
still refrains from comment. something in her demeanor or the sisters"
relationship leads Marlon to guIltin continue her defense. "Oh. for God's
sake. I can't stand It." she protests. "Your disapproval." (Hare 4)

The actions and words of the two sisters In the first few moments of
the play lay the basic foundation for their characters. Isobel is clearly the
Cordelia to Marion's Goneril. Marlon. the elder sister. in life ignored her
father and sought to buy his affections when it seemed important. while
Isobel comforted him with the less tangible. more human qualities of
genuine love and concerned ministrations. From their reactions to one
another It seems they are both aware of the positions they hold and the
effect they have on each other. and the feeling Is one of slight rivalry. of
more importance to Marlon than Isobel. '

Not long after Marlon retrieves the ring her husband. Tom. arrives to
see If they will be Joining the assembled mourners downstairs. One of
Tom's earliest distinguishable character traits Is his assertive religious
devotion. After Marlon complains that Katherine. her father's widow. Is a
drunk and Is even Intoxicated that day. Isobel tells her. "Well. It hardly
matters. Least of all to Dad." to which Tom adds. "No. he's fine. He‘s in the
hands of the Lord." (Hare 5) Both Isobel and Marion regard Tom's devout
remarks throughout the play with suspicion and occasional
condemnation. As the plot progresses. however. they become an
Important foil for each of the other characters. especially Isobel.

The three briefly discuss the deceased and his surviving wife.
Marion's sentiments are that her father was a foolish old man who was

"taken fora ride" by the younger, reckless Katherine. Isobel. more

114

forgiving and understanding. counters. "Dad loved her. You must allow
him that. He wouldn't have married unless he‘genuinely loved her...The
great thing is to love. If you're loved back then It's a bonus." (Hare 5)

Tom's position Is that of the less Important man In a play driven by
women. Whether as a courtesy to the sex Hare finds more civilized and
kind. or Just as a realistic character portrayal. Tom is wishy-washy and self-
depracating. When they are both involved In a discussion or decision. he
unfailingly cedes the field to Marlon. his wife. His contribufion to the
discussion is. "I'm sure both of you are right. it's wonderful being a woman
because you have that knack of knowing what‘s going on. Men Just don't
seem to have it. What Is It? A sort of Insfinct? Still. vive la difference, eh?"
(Hare 6) ‘

Before going to Join the other guests. Marlon suddenly and rather
viciously turns again on Isobel, telling her. "You've made me feel awful. It's
not my fault about the ring. Or the way I feel about Katherine. You make
me feel as If I'm always In the wrong...WelI. we can't all be perfect. We
do try. The rest of us are trying. So. will you please stop this endless
crlficlsm? Because I honstly think It's driving me mad." (Hare 6)

The hapless Isobel. who has yet to say anything about Marion and
the ring. remarks to Tom when her sister Is gone. "It's not her fault. You lash
out In any dlrecfion. Marion's In grief. It's her way of grieving. She
chooses to lash out at me." (Hare 6) The unsolicited abuse she accepts
at the hands of Marion Is repeated in other relationships Isobel has In the
play. Her kindness and generosity are hard for others to accept at face
value. and. not knowing how else to react, they become defensive and

protect themselves from Imagined assaults by lashing out at her. These

115

qualities In Hare's heroine are what led at least one critic to refer to her as
"Saint Isobel." (Golomb)

Tom sympathizes somewhat with lsobel's plight regarding her sister.
since he. himself. must face her foul moods daily. "You see. it happens
quite often. She gets angry." he tells Isobel, "Why? I mean, she's got
everything she wants. Her party's In power. For ever. She's In office. She's
an absolute cert for the Cabinet. I Just don't see why she's angry all the
fime." (Hare 7)

While Tom Is not meant to be a sympathetic. tow-the-Iine character
in the play. this particular view aligns him with Leftists and Labourltes who
have often wondered aloud about the discontent of the Tories In
seemingly prosoperous times for their party. In an unrelated editorial for
The Spectator a few months before the London premiere of IBM
RQDIULQ. Hare himself questioned:

"Why Is the Right in such a bad temper? You can't open a
newspaper without reading an attack on what It has taken to
calling "the liberal intelligentsia". Really. it's mystifying. You
would think the right had everything it wanted. There Is a
Prime Minister in power whom It affects to admire more than
any Individual since Churchill; there are said to be 10.000
million spare pounds In the Treasury: the Trade union
movement has been effecfively castrated: the Labour Party
has been sent Into a double digit period of exile: Important
elected centres of opposition to the Government have been
abolished by a pliant Parliament: "family" values have been
reinforced by the spread of a disease which. It Is none too
subtly implied. has some sort of moral dimension: the
broadcasting authorities have been cowed to the point
where they publish lachrymose position papers on their own
shortcomings: the rich have enJoyed a period of unparalleled
prosperity: private schools and hospitals have boomed as
standards have been allowed to deteriorate in the public
sector: the lLEA Is soon to be abolished: expensive and highly
profitable health-Insurance schemes are soon to be given a

116

massive risk-free boost: the Judiciary is as Intolerant and tame
as it needs to be: the nuclear arsenals are fabulously well
stocked: there Is a British military presence south of the
equator; and now. as a final cherry on the sachertorte. there
Is a mischievous piece of anti-gay legislafion being enacted
to the undisgulsed merriment of all the most backward
people in the klndgom. By all the criteria of the age. we
ought. surely. to be living In paradise. Yet If anything now
marks the tone of those Ideologues who guided us into this
era. It Is. In their writing and speeches. Increasing evidence of
acrimony and dyspepsia. 'Whingeing" was once said to be
the prerogative of the Left. yet lately. It seems. it too has
been privatised." (Hare "Diary" 7)

His wonderment at the Conservative Party disposition
notwithstanding. Tom is still a figure of ridicule In the play. not a hero.
Against the relatively realisfic philosophies of the other characters. even
Isobel with her hope for humankind. Tom's mythologizing of Christianity Is
seen as childish folderol. Asked If he ever gets angry. Tom responds.
"Angry? I don't think so. There's no media. since I made Jesus my
friend."

To convince the skepfical Isobel of the verity of his beliefs. he relates
a fortuitous event that he ascribes to his faith In God. After Isobel called
him to announce the death of her father. Tom wanted to drive to
Marion's office to let her know In person. Going to the car. he finds It
"Won't start. I open the bonnet. Spark-plug leads have perished. I can't
believe it. I think. what on earth am I going to do? Then I think. hey. six
days ago an old mate called in and left, in a shopping bag. a whole load
of spare parts he'd had to buy for his car. and you know. as I go in and
look for It. I tell you this. I don't have a doubt. As I move towards the bag.
I've never looked Inside It and yet I know. It‘s got so I know. i know that

Inside that bag there Is going to be a set of Ford Granada leads. and

117

then you have to say. well. there you are, that's lt. that‘s the Lord Jesus.
He's there when you need him." (Hare 7-8)

Aside from the comical nature of his story In relafion to current
theological thought. the belief system Tom has constructed for himself Is a
very T9805 strategy. From a small Investment and a little effort-attending
church once a week. tithing and espousing Chrlsfian virtue—he reaps a
huge reWard: divine guardianship and life everlasting. In his world It Is a

business scheme similar to Investment banking and stock trading.

Uke nearly all of Hare's earlier full-length plays. the structure of line
W relies on a series of scenes that move from place to place
and may cover leaps in time of only a few moments or several months.
As Isobel and Tom leave to Join the gathering downstairs the scene shlfis
to the back lawn of the house. A little time has passed and the group is
Just retumlng from the funeral. The first person on stage Is Katherine.
whose presence is vociferously announced in the blackout during the set
changing. Loud and crass. she criticizes the service In a manner not
befitting a recent widow on the day other husband's funeral. "The priest
was awful." she complains. "It was clear he never knew him. To be honest.
I was relieved. When the coffin come In. I thought. oh clear. this Is going
to be unbearably moving. And then mercifully the vicar opened his
mouth. It's quite extraordinary. The church must send them on some sort
of training course. Called Trampling on People's Feelings."

The fact that Katherine was so easily distracted from showing
emotion at the loss of her supposed loved one Illustrates Immediately one
of her most Important character traits. Insulated from nearly all

interpersonal feelings by her self-centeredness. she becomes a burden to

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anyone she attaches herself to. with the apparent exception of the dead
Robert Glass.

As the group setttes down for refreshments and polite condolences.
It becomes obvious that lsobel's task for the past several weeks has been
not only to care for her father in his last days. but to oversee funeral
arrangements and provide for guest accomodotions that day with no
help from her sister or Katherine. The thanks she gets for preparing the
priest for her father's eulogy Is Katherine's complaints and Marion's
Interference. For his funeral speech Isobel "stressed forty years of
opposition to nuclear armaments." something the dead man sincerely
believed In. Marlon. however. In her capacity as Tory Junior Environment
Minister, dissuaded the priest from that line of praise. She tells Isobel.
"There's such a thing as a suitable time. Funerals shouldn't have politics
dragged Into them." (Hare 10)

One of the most important reasons for the family gathering, It Is
revealed. Is to determine what Katherine will do with herself now that Mr.
Glass ls gone. It has already been pointed out that she has an ongoing
alcohol problem and an abrasive personality but. when pressed by
Marion. she says deterrnlnedly. "All right. look. I know. you all think I'm
hopeless. I'm not hopeless. I've had time to think. I do have a plan. I'm
not going to stay In this house for the rest of my life. I decided. i"m going
to work with Isobel." (Hare l2)

Her decision comes as a surprise to Marion and Isobel both. Before
Isobel. who hasn't yet been consulted. can respond. Katherine appeals to
her beneficlent nature. knowing she won't be refused. "I never had a
chance." she explains. "I left school so suddenly. I wasn't ready. I had this

ridiculous relationship with drugs. Which. thank God. I got over. But while

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that was going on. It was fucking hard to hold down a Job. Then I put on
four stones. I couldn't concentrate. I was fat and spotty and all over the
place. So I never got going. Before I met Robert. And then down here
with him, what was there? I helped out In the shop. But that's not really
work. I know I'm ready now." (Hare I2)

Everyone present questions the Idea. While Isobel stammers. trying
to find a way to respond. Katherine presses further. saying. "All right. well
fine. I didn't ask Isobel. No I didn't. I assumed. That was wrong. I
apologize. However. thank God Isobel Is a generous person. I think she
knows what I can contribute. She Isn't going to say no." (Hare I3) This Is
the tacfic most often used on Isobel by other characters In the play and
one that proves most effective: a sort of emotional-moral blackmail
which reminds her of her magnanlmous disposition and precludes her
refusal.

Again before a decision can be reached there Is an Interruption.
Marion's portable phone rings with a call from her staff and she has to
take It Indoors. The workaholic pollttco"s Indlscretlon-taklng office calls on
the day of her father‘s funeral-provides another chance for comment on
the nature of Thatcherltes and "805 careerists. "I see there's no chance of
escaping this Government." Katherine wryly comments. Asked how he
tolerates It. Tom says. "It's Just part of Marion. She's Just someone who
permanently gives off a ringing tone." (Hare 13-14)

Again placing ideas he wishes to popularize Into the mouths of his
antagonists. Katherine complains. "I Just hate it. The Idea of what she's
doing. Someone at a party once said to menthey hadn't met Robert-
they sald. "Oh. lhear you've got two step-daughters." "Yes. Marion and

Isabel." They said. "Where are they at school?" I said. "Marion's not at

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school actually. she's Junior Minister at the Department of the
Environment." They looked at me like i was nuts...l have to explain to
everyone. She's Just my step—daughter. It's absolutely nothing to do with
me. What this Government Is. Its loathsome materialism. The awful
sanctlficatlon of greed. It's not my fault. That's what I say to people. I
can't help It. Please don't blame me." (Hare 14)

Though. by Hare's standards. her grievance Is aimed in the right
dlrecfion. It Is tainted with Irony. Her Inslstent deflection of blame and the
greed she. herself. shows In her subsequent behavior toward Isobel align
her with the very Conservative bureaucrats she seeks to Impugn.

When the conversation turns back to Katherine's needs. however.
Isobel admits she Is hesitant about offering her a Job since her commercial
art firm Is a very small operation and not extremely profitable. Katherine's
last ditch ploy Is to threaten herself with her chemical dependency.
summon the memory of lsobel's dead father. and accuse her of
hypocrisy. "i"m going to the pub." she warns. "I don't give a fuck. i"m sick
of being patronized. there‘s only one person who ever believed In me.
There's Just one man who ever gave me a chance. the rest of you—well.
yes. Isobel. In a way you're the worst. The others don't pretend. but you-
it's all this kindness and tolerance and decency. Then Just ask for
something, some practical demonstration. Just a small act of faith. then It's
no. "Fuck off." It's so fucking English." (Hare 15-16)

After her tirade Katherine storms Into the house. Marlon arrives
almost Immediately to report that the distraught woman has peeled up
floorboards In the kitchen to reveal a secreted stash of alcohol. It is now
her turn to unjustly berate Isobel. Her suggestions sound suspiciously like

the tactics Hare would ascribe to the government she represents:

121

MARION: How can you have been so Incredibly stupid?

ISOBEL: What was I meant to do?

MARION: I'd have thought It's fairly obvious. You have to pretend.

ISOBEL: Pretend? Pretend what? That I have lots of money? That I

don't have any partners? That we don't all have to work alongside

each other. three to a rather small room?

MARION: Why didn't you say. "Well, I don't know yet. Come to

London.‘

ISOBEL: That's exactly what I said.

MARION: Keep her calm. String her along.

ISOBEL: I tried.

MARION: Ue to her. (Hare 16-17)

Katherine returns from her tantrum. slgnificanfiy calmed now by the
effects of the alcohol. Finally speaking reverently about her dead
husband, she explains how Robert Glass saved her from a life of
aimlessness and meaningless relationships. "People say I took advantage
of his decency." she says. "But what are good people for? They're to help
the trashy people like me." Whether Katherine's maxim Is true or not.
Isobel is sufficiently touched by the tribute to her father and finally relents.
against her better Judgement. to giving her a Job. True to her character.
when Isobel tells her. "I'd like to feel It would mean you gave up the
whiskey." Katherine replies. "I can't promise. I can promise I'll try." Tom.
who has only stood at the side and watched without lending any

practical service, simply adds. "Praise the Lord." (Hare 19)

When the third scene begins an undetermined amount of time has

passed. but assumedly It has been several weeks or months. for Katherine

122

Is already changing lsobel's life In unexpected ways. The new setting Is
lsobel's studio/office where she and her boyfriend. Irwin Posner. run their
commercial art business. The first Impression of Irwin. from his own
descrlpfion. Is of a responsible. extremely structured man. "I've got
everything on file." he tells Isobel. "I can't help it. I file everything. I even
filed at schoool. Every scrap of paper. Everything In place. I don't know
what It means. Someone once told me it meant I was prematurely
middle-aged." (Hare 20)

Of course such a carefully planned life is bound to be altered by
the presence of someone like Katherine. For the moment lrwln Is
maintaining his stability. largely. he claims. out of love for Isobel. The third
partner In their firm. however. was not so patient. While Isobel and Irwin
discuss a book cover he is creating depicting a firing gun and bullet
wound (an Illustration that Is to take an added significance by the end of
the play) there Is a knock at the door. Opening It. Isobel finds the visitor
gone and a note left behind from Gordon, their other artist and
bookkeeper. enlgmatlcally stafing that he can no longer work for the firm.
that It's time to move on.

Irwln helpfully explains that Katherine's presence drove Gordon
from the office. Not Just her lmpulslveness and the strain she puts on the
firm's Income. he claims. but "before Katherine came. Gordon had Job
satisfaction to compensate." he says, "And I think he probably felt that
had gone." A further complication. he claims. was Gordon's affection for
Isobel. Though the man was older and "looks like Sydney Greenstreet."
he. like Irwin. was attracted to lsobel's kindness. "He's living at a certain

level of pain." Irwin suggests. "But there are prlveleges. Uke. he sees you

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every day. You give him your attention. Things are pleasant. And stable.
1111 Katherine." (Hare 22-23)

Irwin attempts to take things a step further and warn Isobel about
the way everyone has forced Katherine on her because of her kind spIrIt.
That same spirit. though. Is what prevents her from shunning the burden. "I
Just know that If I tried to get rid of her now. It would be disastrous for her
self-confidence." she tells him, "She's Just lost her husband. She couldn't
face the future. She was frightened. She was lonely. If I hurt her now. It‘ll
put her right back on the drink." (Hare 25)

Katherine's behavior when she arrives for work. however. is not that
of a suffering. bereaved victim. Instead. she is a whirling dervish of self-
absorption and reckless disregard for others. Just after Irwin complains
that the unwanted addition to their business has even found her way Into
their bedroom. causing Isobel to refuse sex. Katherine bounds into the
office demanding money to pay a flower-seller (she's Just offered to
purchase his entire stall) and announcing proudly that she has Just sold her
late husband's. and lsobel's father's. home. Before Isobel can react to this
news Katherine adds that, through the false allure of sexual favors. she
has convinced an already faithful and respected client to use the firm
exclusively. Not content to stop there. she then starts berating Irwin about
the book cover he ls working on. criticizing his approach to art as too
accurate and literal.

When Isobel finally manages to question Katherine about the sale
of the family home, her response Is galllng. though by now predictable.
She agrees that Marlon hates the house and "said she was never going to
use It. I said I could never face going back. That left only you." She. of

course. did not bother to consult Isobel. knowing she might object. "I

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have no money. Isobel," she continues." It's as simple as that. Rolbert and
I spent everything he earned. He had no Investments, he didn't approve
of them. He thought they were wrong. So do 1. It's Immoral. all that
disgusting trading In shares. He Just bought books. I loved that In him. His
other-worldllness. The way he Just didn't give a damn about money. But
now of course we've got to pay for that other-worldliness. The bill's come
In. We've got to pay dufies. And I knew you wouldn't want me to starve."
(Hare 29)

The only part of Katherine's Impassloned speech that Is truly
surprising Is her professed opinion of Investments and trading In shares.
Though Hare voiced his distaste for such dealings. Katherine Is an unlikely
opponent of anything that would profit her. and It seems likely her
comments are merely meant to harmonize with the feelings of her dead
husband. the father Isobel adored.

This. It seems. Is what continues to trigger lsobel's protective feelings
toward Katherine: the life she shared with her father. She recognizes the
destructive effect Katherine ls having on her life. complains to Irwin that
selling the house was wrong and that courting clients so crudely Is
appalling, but each time the elder Glass ls mentioned, she falls back In
line behind her father's widow. "There was something therefor Robert."
she tells Irwin. "I can't Just abandon her. Think. there was this middle-aged
man. Very ldeallsfic. leng a life of Ideas...He said that living with
Katherine was like being on manoeuvres with a great army. You had no
Idea where you'd wake up the next day..He didn't mind her awfulness.
She was prepared to say what she thought. especially to all those people
he didn't dare be rude to himself. That's what he loved. She wasn't

125

dependent on anyone"s opinion. You know what It was? He thought she
was free." (Hare 30-31)

As Isobel ls once again on the verge of deciding to get rId of
Katherine. though. she comes through with another bit of surprising news.
Tom has decided he would like to Invest in the firm so It can expand.
While the details are still unclear. It seems obvious Katherine has been
pushing for something behind the scenes. Her real feelings about
profiteering. more similar to Marion and Tom's than to her dead
husband's, begin to show. "We'd get a bigger place." she tells the
shocked couple. "In the centre of town. If we expand now. get some
capital lnvestrnent. we could be making money like hay. Everyone else
Is." (Hare 32) .

When Isobel finally summons the wherewithal to protest. Katherine
easily cuts her off with another reference to her father. She tells her. "It's
something Robert said. He said. "You must always remember Isobel Is very
narrow. Shehas no vision." (Hare 32) Though Irwln tries to help the
floundering Isobel In evlcfing Katherine. it Is too late. The scene ends

when she tells him that. for all her trouble. Katherine must stay.

The fourth scene returns to Robert Glass" house. now In the process
of being vacated for sale. It Is the site Marlon has chosen fora meeting
with an anti-nuclear lobby In her capacity as Junior Environment Minister.
and the place where both sides of the family are to meet to conduct
business arrangements for the expansion of lsobel's firm.

Marion and her assistant, Rhonda. are discussing the recent conflict
of principles between the government and the group when Katherine

arrives for their scheduled meeting. Marlon explains. "I had to see a

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delegation. Those awful Greens. Green people. About radiation levels
from nuclear power stations. A subject. I may say. about which I know a
great deal more than they do." Just how much more the government
knows about environmental hazards. according to the playwright. Is
evident In Marion's parfing retart to the lobbyists. "I hate exaggerafion."
she says. "That and self-righteousness. Those two things." Displaying both.
she chides them. ""Come back and see me when you're glowing In the
dark.“ (Hare 35)

Hare pursues government arrogance still further when Marion
gloats. "They were expecting an Idiot. That's the first mistake. Because
you're a Conservative. And a member of the Government. They expect
you to be stupid...You blast them right out of the water. Hey. at this
moment I could take them all on. The gloves are off. That's what‘s great.
That's what's exciting. It's a new age. Fight to the death." (Hare 36)

Contrasted with Marion's cutthroat mentality toward opposition ls
Irwin's offhanded pacifism regarding the sounds of hunters on the grounds
In the distance. As he enters the room he observes. "It's like the trenches
out there. Bangl Bangl Bangl What Is It about country people? They
want to kill everything that moves...Outside the cities England seems to be
one big rifle range." (Hare 3637) By the end of the play It is a
tremendously Ironic remark. showing Hare's creativity as a dramatic
craftsman. '

The meeting finally begins when Tom arrives with paperwork
detailing the Incorporation scheme for lsobel's business. She Is hesitant
about the venture. feeling that the firm doesn't need to expand and
suspicious about the creation of a board of directors, on which she would

simply be a single vote. Tom. though. claims good Intentions. His wife

127

notes. "Tom Is President of Christians In Business. I think that makes It pretty
clear he's a man you can trust." to which the executive adds, "We meet
six times a year. We try to do business the way Jesus would have done It."
(Hare 38)

The lighter Jobs at government ruthlessness. corporate Interference.
and Tom's religious propensities are all part of a larger swing at the
watchword of the eighties: greed. Hare returns to this societal Ill when
the Frenches further try to tempt Isobel. "Are you crazy? There's money to
be made." says Marion. "Everyone's making it." Tom pIoust adds.
"Remember. God gives us certain glfis...And he expects us to use them.
That‘s our duty. If we fall to use them. he gets angry. Jusfifiably. God says
to himself, "Now look. why did I give that person those gifts In the first
place? If they're not willing to get out there and make a bit of an effort?"
(Hare 39)

Once again calling on his uniquely eighties-informed vision of
Chrlsfianlty. Tom suggests the absurd: that God himself Is behind his Idea
of a corporate merger. It Is a wryly humorous approach to questioning
faith that the playwright would return to with more vehemence In his next
work. mm. which Is enfirely concerned with the effects of the
Thatcher years on organized religion In Britain.

Pitching In her unsolicited opinion. Katherine adds to the fray. "You
know I think this Government's appalling. But on the other hand. let's face
It. given what's going on. It's Just stupid not to go and grab some dough
for yourself...l mean. give it to the good guys. That's my philosophy. If we
don't make the money someone else will. Well. in my book the arseholes

have had It their own way long enough." (Hare 40)

128

The contradictory ethics Katherine shows—supporting Marion and
the government one minute and scorning them the next: vilifying
Investment practices one day and spearheading corporate scheming
another—are not faults In character creation. but. as Hare would have It.
attributes of the Thatcher regime. They are part of a greed—driven
society's penchant for using words and Ideas to their advantage.
regardless of how they really feel about them.

To Illustrate. almost Immediately after chastlslng her for not jumping
on the money-making bandwagon and hauling some In for herself.
Marlon accuses Isobel of selfishness. "I don't know how else to Interpret a
refusal." she says. "You're saying you dont' think your brother-In-law will
look after your best Interests. I don‘t know. Perhaps that's what you
feel...AIso. you know, you must think of other people...l sometimes think.
what sort of life Is It If we only think about'ourselves?" (Hare 40)

In this Instance the "other" Marlon ls referring to Is Katherine. Though
at no time since her father's death has she been ready to directly help
Katherine. Marlon now claims the venture would be of greatest benefit to
her and that a seat on the board of the new company would be "the
kind of security she's lacked In her life." (Hare 41)

Once again pushed Into a comer by her charitable nature. Isobel
turns to Irwin. who only the night before objected to the partnership on
the grounds that business should not mix with family. Now. however. he
has changed his tune. Since being offered twice his salary by Tom and
Marion should the merger succeed. lrwln Is now wholeheartedly behind It.
to lsobel's dismay.

When the Frenches and their company, Katherine and Rhonda.

leave. Irwln attempts to mollify Isobel. "Things move on." he tells her. "You

129

brought In Katherine. Be fair. It was you. It changed the nature of the
firm. For better or worse...l wouldn't hurt you. You know that. I'd rather
die than see you hurt. I love you. I want you. There's not a moment
when I don't want you."

lsobel's response. as the sound of the hunters outside grows louder.
Is. "The guns are getting nearer. God. will nobody leave us In peace?"
(Hare 43-44) Knowing what the audience knows at this point In the play.
the guns may be symbolic of lsobel's family—Marlon. Tom. and Katherine-
or of the Conservative Party and Its ethics. The peace she seeks could
mean Just the status quo. poor but happy. a state abhored and
misunderstood by everyone around her. There Is no mistaking by the end
of the play, however. that the "guns...getting nearer" more literally

represent her own murder at the hands of the crazed Irwin.

A significant amount of fime has once again passed between the
first and second acts. When the new act begins. the setting Is lsobel's
offices. now located In the West End of London. Stage directions suggest
a larger space with more desks, newer furniture and expensive fixtures.
Irwin Is alone with Rhonda. Marion's aide from the previous scene. In the
semi-darkened room. They are sharing champagne, she ls scantily
dressed. and there Is the suggestion that some sort of sexual antics have
taken place. or soon wIll.

Conversation. though. concerns Rhonda's experiences In the
pollfical arena. It Is an opportunity for more easy shots at the Tory Parly.
like this exchange:

IRWIN: I'm trying to work out which one It must be. A Tory politician

whose wife can't come.

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RHONDA: Have you got It yet?

IRWIN: Not really. To be honest, I'm spoilt for choice. (Hare 45)

It Is also. though. another chance for Hare to prove his sympathy
toward women In the workplace. especially In the Houses of Parliament.

Rhonda's explanation of the frustrated Tory and his wife leads her to
offer her opinion on men In general. "Do you have any Idea what being
a woman Is like?" she asks Irwin. "By nightfall you're stuffed. You've spent
the whole day sitting listening to men deceive themselves. If you're lucky.
That's If they're not actually out deceiving you."

Nonetheless. she becomes Infimately Involved with a stranger who
grew excited watching her eat a prawn and mayonnaise sandwich. Their
Intercourse. she decides. left much to be desired. "He's like a man." she
says. "that's all I can say. He's so out of touch with his feelings that he's like
some great half-dead animal that lies there. just thrashing about." Her
final verdict? "Men are cunt-struck. But they rarely know why." (Hare 46-
47)

While some of Rhonda's comments may be oft-heard complaints
from the legions of working women In Britain and elswhere. the language
she employs and her approach to her subject are more severe than the
tactics Hare's women usually use. This may be parfially due to Rhonda's
place In the play. She Is a subsidiary character. liked by Marion because.
as she puts It. "1 cause chaos." (Hare 48)

She causes her fair share that day. Isobel unexpectedly shows up
at the office and finds Irwin and Rhonda In the midst of their after-hours
tryst. Nonplussed but hiding her suspicion. she explains she missed a flight
to Glasgow for an Important business meeting. As Rhonda makes use of

the office's shower Irwin guIItIly starts to cover for himself. deflecting some

131

blame toward Isobel who. he claims. hasn't looked so well lately and has
been turning all his concern away.

To make matters even worse. Isobel tells Inrvin that Katherine was
the reason she missed the plane. During a business dinner. the reforming
alcoholic was given a few drinks and. after losing an Important contract.

_ "picked up a steak knife and plunged It straight for the managing
director's heart." (Hare 52) The contract In question was a vital one for
the new business and its loss will prove financially devastating.

Even while she Is facing her own personal turmoil. the fiscal crisis of
her agency. and the antics of the uncontrollable Katherine. people still
feel obliged to lay their troubles at lsobel's feet. Irwin Insists he must talk to
her, to Iron out their problems. Isobel protests. "What. you all night and
Katherine In the morning? Please let me go, I've got problems enough."
But even lrwln Is not dissuaded from overburdenlng the pathetically saintly
Isobel. "You've started avoiding me." he persists. "You tolerate me. yes.
But every time I look at you now. you look the other way." (Hare 52-53)

Coerced Into an argument she sought to avoid. Isobel admits her
behavior toward lrwln is not normal. but It has been a "mistaken idea of
kindness." "We've both been aware of It." she says. "You as much as me.
We should have parted some months ago." Feeling put upon by
everyone around her. she was especially disappointed when lrwln
backed the merger of her firm and Tom's business interests.

Now, all her doubtful feelings about lrwln have been brought to the
surface and are struggling with Innate kindness. "I know you love me." she
tells lrwln, "God knows. you say It often enough. I don't say that to be
cruel. But I never hear the words without sensing something"s being asked

of me. The words drain me. From your lips they've beocme a kind of

132

blackmail. They mean. I love you and so...So I am entitled to be endlessly
comforted and supported and cheered...Oh. yes. and I've been happy
to do It. I comforted. I supported. I cheered. Because I got something
back. But It's gone. We both know It. Yet you want some period In which
we both flounder together. hang on tight while we get sad. But I don't
want to be sad. No one can remeber now. but the big joke Is. by
temperament I'm actually an extremely cheerful girl. That's what's so silly.
I'm strong. You sap my strength. Because you make me feel guilty. I can
never love you as much as you need. Now I see that. So I've done a
great deal of suffering. But that's over. I'm ready to move on." (Hare 54-
55)

Isobel's confession and assertion of Independence are a mixed bag
of tidings. By this point In the play It Is obvious she needs to find a way to
stop sharing In the troubles of the world. and a frank assessment of her
relationship with lrwln could be a good start. She Is still not. however.
completely aware of her predicament.

After suggesting Isobel Is too enamored of her father's Impractical
notion of Integrity. In anger lrwln demands. "Tell me why you will sacrifice
your whole life for Katherine?" Blind to her own actions she replies.
"Sacrlfice"l Irwin. really. what a word." (Hare 56) In a final attempt at
breaking through her emotional defenses or nalvete. lrwln berates her.
"But also It's true. Isobel. my dear. you must learn something else. That
everyone knows except you. It's time you were told. There's such a thing
as evil. You're dealing with evil. That's right. And If you don't admit It.
then you can't fight It. And If you don't fight It. you're going to lose."

(Hare 57)

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The Idea that Isobel actually cannot conceive of evil suggests she is
more a dawn of creation figure than a latter day saint. as crlflcs have
dubbed her. She really fits neither bIIl perfecfly. for her actions are too
complicated to plgeonhole her as simply a walking allegory. In a
complete roundabout. when Rhonda emerges from her shower Isobel
offers to accompany the two of them to the movies. even suggesting a
big bag of popcorn to ensure a good time. It is nearly the last time Irwin

will see her alive.

As the three of them leave the scene onstage shifts to Tom's office.
He has called a board meeting to discuss the dire straits of lsobel's
business. Three weeks ago she walked out of the cinema for popcorn.
got on a plane and left the country. Though. as Irwin explains. she
returned shorfiy afterward. she has avoided him ever since. not showing
up for work. meetings. or personal rendevous.

She has. however. been busy with Katherine. After buying back her
father's house. Isobel promised to put Katherine Into a flat In London and
care for her. To Marlon. of course. her sister's behavior Is Irrational and
Inexcusable. "It's so typical. Isn't It?" she remarks snldely. "She's feckless.

She was born Irresponsible. Someone said. 'Do you know what politics Is?
Finally? Politics Is being there every day." And you know It's true. You
have to be there. I'm there every day." (Hare 61)

Though everyone Is perturbed by lsobel's sudden change of face.
lrwln still cannot bring himself to condemn her. "What do you do?" he asks
Tom and Marion. "When everything you think. everything you feel ls
screaming at you that you belong with her? What do I know? Very little.
A bit about drawing. A bit about how to look after myself. Which I've

134

done for years. Beyond that. nothing. Except I've known one certain
source of good." (Hare 62)

Ultimately that Is lsobel's attraction and repulsion for everyone In the
play. Whether as a repository for unwanted troubles or an endless font of
kindness. lsobel's family and friends are attracted to her as the "one
certain source of good" they know. while at the same time they remain
confused. jealous. and spiteful of her bounty. ‘

At the moment. the primary objection Is that Isobel Is making the
daily operation of the firm nearly Impossible by her absence. Returning to
the religious Imagery of Isobel as saint. nun. or martyr. Irwin says. "It's all of
a piece. while I work there. I don't think she's going to come near It. My
guess ls she's made some sort of vow." Ever skepfical of acts of true
Integrity. Marion responds. "I don't believe this. This Is most peculiar. What
Is this? A vom It‘s outraglous. People making vows. What are vows?
Nobody's made vows since the nineteenth century." (Hare 63)

lsobel's seriousness Is apparent. however. when she calls from the
lobby to Inform the board that she will make an appearance as soon as
lrwln has left the building. After her request Is granted. she joins the
meeting In progress as though nothing were out of the ordinary. shunning
personal questions and getting right to the business at hand. "You want
to sell the firm because It‘s not profitable and sack all the staff. Is that
right?" she asks Tom. (Hare 64)

Tom admits those are his Intentions: that the firm has been losing
money and he can make a healthy profit on the building If he sells now.
Additionally. Isobel forces him to concede that the venture never actually
cost him anything since It was used as a tax write-off. Though never

becoming accusatory or even Impiylng any wrongdoing. Isobel reveals

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the true nature of Tom's Christian business values and family loyalty. like
everything else. his principles are less Important than profit.

Still. Isobel does not object. and In the spirit of getting things over
with agrees to the dlsmanfilng of her operafions and the dlsbandlng of
their partnership. Tom and Marion are not content to let the Issue lie so
neafiy. In a mockingly magnanlmous gesture of consolafion Tom offers
Isobel a small office space within his own building. behind the car park.
Provided she continues her trade with lrwln. he Is willing to let her use the
space rent free for the first year and even pay her ufility bills.

The space. however. Is a hovel. As Isobel says. recalling Tom's
Chrlsfian businessman's associafion. "Forgive me. but I think even Jesus
might have doubts about setting up a business In there." (Hare 68) The
Issue Is moot anyway. since Isobel has no plans to renew her relationship.
for business or pleasure. with Irwin. "All my life I've got on with everyone."
she says. "But this one fime. all my insfincts say. "Do something decisive.
Cut him off. Wake him up. Shock him. Make It final." "Do what needs to
be done." (Hare 69)

Though Isobel sounds like an addict of some sort. slowly waking up
to the reality of her fixation and trying to quit In stages. her self-destructive
goodness still has her Imperlled. Her uifimate explanation for her actions.
especially as they concern Katherine. returns her to her dead father.
"What am I meant to do now?" she asks. "In my case there's only one
answer. I must do what Dad would have wished." (Hare 69)

Marion's reaction ls prophetic. "You are truly insufferable." she tells
her troubled sister. "Hide behind your father for the rest of your life. Die
therel" (Hare 69) Tom. following Isobel out the door. expresses his usual

useless concern and false remorse and says. "I should never have done

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this. I didn't see what would happen...l'm going down to pray. I fear for
her." (Hare 70)

By the flme the next scene begins In the new flat Isobel has
purchased for Katherine. the women's relationship has degenerated to
near absurd levels. Each plays a particular role: Katherine Is a selfish
child. pitching screaming tantrums at the slightest suggestion of decorum
or authority. and Isobel Is the beleagured parent of an uncontrollable
helllon. making doomed. obligatory attempts of behavior modification
and appeasement.

Nothing Isobel does for Katherine suits her. When she suggests they
go for a walk. Katherine hates the idea. When she prepares her dinner.
Katherine says. "Your cooking Is uspeakable. It‘s all good lntenfions. Fuck
Shepherd's pie. lt sums you up." (Hare 71) Yet. for all her protestations.
Katherine remains oddly dependent on Isobel for something. When
lsobel tells her unhappy charge. "If you ask me. then I will go." Katherine's
first response Is. "Go." Then. as soon as lsobel reaches for her coat. she
stops her. saying. "Please don't leave me. Please. lsobel. Just stay for
tonight." (Hare 72)

Katherine's plea Is heartfelt. She even takes the time to try to
explain to lsobel how mediocre she has felt all her life. and how her
explalnable Instability caused her to nearly stab to death their business
associate at the earlier Ill-fated dinner. It becomes apparent. though.
that part of her desire to confess and purge her emotions may be a
charade. a way to stall for time and keep Isobel at the apartment.

Though she Is warned that lrwln somehow has a key to the flat and

lsobel still doesn't want to see him. Katherine Intenfionally unlocks the

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deadbolt to the door when the women go to bed. Shorfiy after.

undoubtedly according to plan. Irwin shows up and lets himself In.

As Hare noted. IDQSQQLQLRQQILILQ was his attempt to see If It was
sfill possible. against popular opinion. to write a tragedy. With this
dramafic form as a model. the final encounter between Irwin and Isabel
represents the Inevitable destructive climax caused by the heroine"s
hubris. In this case her Innate goodness In a world gone bad.

When Irwin enters the flat Isobel tells him In no uncertain terms she
does not want to see him. She even calls for Katherine who. of course.
does not come to her rescue. There is a palpable undercurrent of
precipitous violence In the previously steady and docile lrwln. He asks If
lsobel will just sleep with him and. when he Is refused.produces a gun.

With uncharacterlsfic brutality Isobel tells him. "Force me. You can
force me If you like. Why not? You can take me here. On the bed. On
the floor. You can fuck me fill the morning. You can fuck me all
tomorrow. Then the whole week. At the end you can shoot me and hold
my heart In your hand. You still won't have what you want. The bit that
you want I'm not giving you. You can make me say or do anything you
like. Sure. I'll do It. Sure. I'll say It. But you'll never have the bit that you
need. It Isn't yours." (Hare 75)

When It Is obvious nothing he says Is going to convince her to return
their relationship to the way It was Irwin turns to threats of violence. He Is
obviously nervous. pushed to the edge by feelings beyond his control.
Still. lsobel mocks him. thinking him uncapable of using the gun on her or

anyone else. She Is mistaken.

138

When Katherine. out of curiosity. finally comes In to see what Is
happening. and refuses to help lsobel by calling for the police. Isobel
dares to go on her own. With Irwin pointing the gun dlrecfiy at her and
ordering her not to leave. she turns at the door and nofices. "I haven't got
shoes. Sfill you can't have everything." (Hare 78) These words. echoing
the sobered realization of the shoeless traveller who met a man with no
feet. are lsobel's last. As the door closes behind her. lrwln unloads his
pistol rounds through It. killing her Instantly. Katherine kneels beside her

fallen benefactor and Irwin breathes, "It's over. Thank God." (Hare 78)

The final scene of the play is an epilogue that serves to show the
effect lsobel's life. suffering. and death finally had on those around her.
Bringing the setting of the play full circle. Hare places the denoument
back in the living room of Robert Glass. Now the house seems to have
fallen Into the hands of Marion and Tom. who are trying to restore It to the
condition It was In when Mr. Glass passed away. partly out of a belated
sense of filial duty. and parfiy In memory of Isobel.

As they arrange furniture and knick-knacks and cart belongings In
and out of the room. It Is obvious each has been changed somewhat by
lsobel's murder. The workaholic Marlon refuses a phone call from the
Ministry. opting Instead to reminisce about her childhood In the house.
Katherine, echoing Grace In W95. has lost Interest In
possessions. "Robert loved things," she tells Marion, "It made me jealous.
He'd pick up a book. Or a photograph. His whole mood would change.
Right away. Things consoled him. He was lucky." Even Tom's faith Is

shaken. He stops himself as he Is beginning to console Marlon with words

139

from Jesus and says. "I don't know. I've slightly lost touch with the Lord
Jesus." (Hare 80—81)

When the room ls finally complete and they stand back to admire
their work Tom tells Marlon. "Well done. It's lovely. A perfect Imitation of
life." (Hare 81) His words at this point echo the conflicts all the characters
In the play have fought. Throughout. each has sought to‘find and define
what the living of life Is truly about. For Tom It has been business and
religion: for Marion. pollfics: for Irwin. Isobel: and for Katherine It has been .
the drawing of life from others. Of all of them. only Isobel lived life by
giving to life. to others.

Even In death. it seems. lsobel continues to give. Left alone. with
their work finished. the usually conservative and restrained Tom and
Marion cannot help suddenly feeling a renewed attraction to one
another. physically and emotionally. After exchanging a sensuous kiss
and words of affection. Tom leaves Marion alone fora moment. As she
sits In the middle of the room. surrounded by the remnants of her life with
her father and sister. she says to herself. "Isobel. We're just beginning.
Isobel. where are you? Isobel. why don't you come home?" (Hare 82)

And Indeed. as these last words suggest. they are just beginning.
Thanks to the sacrifices of Isobel. each of the other characters has
discovered something about themselves and each other that will Inform

the way they live the rest of their lives.
Fittingly. a certain moral assertiveness accompanied critics' reviews

of W when It premiered at the National Theatre In October
of 1988. Whether they enthusiastically supported the play or found It. as

140

Hare suggested. "a load of old tosh." many crIfics found themselves.
unsurprisingiy. divided along pollflcal and ethical lines.

Michael Billington. the regular theatre crlfic for the Guardian. which
Is associated with Labourltes and the Left In England. wrote in Plays
International. "What few people noticed first time round—myself Included-
was that thls Is a deeply opfimisfic play which says that the English virtues
of tolerance. consideration and humanity will In the last resort triumph
over the historical aberration of Thatcherlsm...The final Image of the play
unequivocally shows that the lsobels of this world will win out over the
Marlons and that harmony and peace will return to our diseased.
temporarily unrecognizable Britain." (Billington "A Year of Smooth
Translflon" 25) 4

John Peter In the Sunday TTmes agreed. He wrote. "Hare has written
one of the best English plays since the war and established himself as the
finest Brlflsh dramatist of his generation. The Secret Rapture Is a family
play: It Is also the first major play to judge the England of the 19805 In
terms that are both human and humane." (Peter "Moral Masterpiece for
our Times" C8)

Those not already disposed toward liberal party politics. however.
were not as easily convinced. especially on the American side of the
Atlantic. Commenting on the New York production. Robert Brusteln
wrote. "Part of the problem Is the playwright's pollfical agenda. Whatever
his feelings about the Intrinsic nature of evil. Hare believes behavior to be
deeply Influenced by the solcal environment. This endows his personal
relationships with a dimension beyond the domesfic. but It also Imprisons
his characters In representative roles. The play's heroine (once again.

Hare's central character Is an Idealisfic woman) Is lsobel Glass—liberal by

141

persuasion. therefore warm and decent and Independent by nature-
while her sister. Marlon French. Is a Conservafive polificlan and -
businesswoman. thus hard-nosed. frugal. unfeellng. Darwinian. Hare
makes some effort to complicate these characters—lsobel ls oddly
unforgiving of her boyfriend's infidelity. Marion has an uncharacteristically
soft and passionate moment with her huband. But essentially. like
everyone else In the play. they exist primarily as symbolic refiecfions on life
and character In Margaret Thatcher's England." (Brusteln "No Secrets. No
Rapture" 29-30)

In the New Yorker. Mimi Kramer noted. "That Hare wants us to take
his lltfie family drama as an allegory of what has happened to political
idealism In England and America (socialism In his country. liberalism In
ours) ls only too clear." But. she felt. hefalters In his presentafion. Her
review continued. "Allegory, In order to work. has to be revealing on two
levels. and Hare's play. In order to state any more than the obvous (that
It's selfish ant to care about those we should care about). would have to
explain something about why people think and feel and behave as they
do. But. Just as Hare's Is not an Interesting analysis of why masochistic
people put up with the demanding, destructive. and confrontafional
dependents that life has dealt them. there Is room in his microcosm of
Brlflsh and American pollfics for no subtlety of thought or mofive." (Kramer
112)

The New York production fared much worse than the London
premiere. due In large part to a change In directors and a hostile crlfical

reception that led to an enormous row In the press. Howard Davies

142

directed W for the Lyttelton Theatre while Hare himself
took the reins at the Barrymore Theatre stateside.

Several American crifics who had seen the London production felt
Hare had done himself and his play a disservice by redirecting it in New
York. John Simon In New York magazine wrote, "Perhaps It's Hare who Is
bananas. He certainly gives most of his characters elaborately sculptured
speeches-something out of an Oxford-Cambridge debate. with a touch
of High Church sermon and a dash of absurdism thrown In. Then. as his
own director. he has the cast oraflng at the audience. very slowly. very
deliberately. as If doing a special mafinee at a mental hostpltal." (Simon
"Rapture Under Wraps" 132)

Richard Hornby In the Hudson Review chimed In. "the problems in
the script were aggravated In the New York production by the fact that
Hare himself directed. I hate to keep faulting him. but facts are facts: As I
have noted In the past. he has a poor sense of space. creating awkward
movements and meaningless stage pictures. In many Instances. actors
even convered one another from the audience's view. Hare repeatedly
used upstge center for the main entrance, which Is the worst possible
place for It to be." (Hornby 123)

The most severe damage. however. was done by the reviewer who
many playwrights feel makes or breaks a play In New York: the Times
crlfic. Though Frank Rich found a lot to like about the play when it was In
London. he felt Hare's treatment of the new production was shoddy. "Mr.
Hare. serving as his play's director for Its Broadway premiere at the
Barrymore. is his own worst enemy." Rich wrote. "The passion and wit that
reside In his script—and that are essential to engage an audience and

lead It to his Ideas-are left unrealized In this production. Those who did

143

not see last season's staging of "The Secret Rapture." directed by Howard
Davies. are blameless If they find Mr. Hare's New York version baffling right
up to that final scene. The textual tinkering since London may be minor.
but the wholesale changes of casting and design have flattened the
play's subfietles Into coarse agitprop and tossed Its overall Intentions Into
confusion."

Rich confinued complimenting the script. the actors. and the
designers. while criflclzing their effect under Hare as a director. and
ended by saying. "What I don't understand Is how a dramatist so deep In
human stuff could allow so pallld an lmitafion of life to represent his play
on a Broadway stage." (Rich "Bad Sister vs. Good Sister In Hare's "Secret
Rapture" C3)

Whether as a direct result of Rich's crlficism or not. the play had a
short life In New York. After twenty-two previews of the Public Theater It
received nineteen more at the Barrymore. followed by a mere twelve
actual performances. The Times' notice prompted Hare to write an angry
note to Rich accusing hIm of closing the play by his unnecessary harsh
tone. RIch replied that his job as a critic was to tell the truth as he saw It.
and soon the two writers" quarrel went public. Varietys headline for the
affair read "Ruffled Hare Airs Rich Bitch." and the seasonal battle between
New York artists and crlflcs was resparked.

As literature. W benefits from Hare's attempt to
write a tragedy. though It Is clearly not one In the classical sense. Its
structure Is unified. with focus maintained on the central action between
Isobel and her surrounding family and friends. It Is mosfiy serious

throughout. beginning and ending In death. setting the recommended

144

tone for a tragic play. As the protagonist. Isobel can certainly be labelled
a basically good person who through a fatal flaw. tragic error. or hubris (In
her case represented either by her extreme beneficlence toward others
or fixated love for her father) meets with destruction.

There Is not. however. a sense that fate Intervenes. that the
characters are destined to play out their parts accordingly. Nor Is there
likely to be felt a catharsis as the result of purging feelings of pity and fear
for lsobel. Hare's pollfical mofives confound this aspect of Identifying with
her character. Since she Is. In Hare's mind. an anomaly. one of the few
good people left In a society bult upon avarice and self-Interest. she ls
difficult to empathize with. though she may elicit a great deal of
SYTTIPOThY- _

Overall W ls probably destined to outlast each of
Hare's other plays that preceeded It In the 19805. While It Is definitely a
product of the era and contains an ample amount of contemporary
crlficlsm. Its universal qualities—good versus evil. family conflict. and the
struggle for self-definition—propei It well beyond the decade of its
creation.

Still. though the script may succeed. Its production closed a few
avenues for the playwright. While the poor showing In New York did not
adversely affect W In England or In subsequent regional
American productions. It took a toll on Hare as a director. especially
following a string of other unsuccessful directorial attempts. Following me
BQLQLNIQQ and W at the National In 1986 was Hare's
production of Kingiegr. which. even with Anthony Hopkins In the tlfle
role. proved unsafisfactory to critics. the public. and Hare himself. Next

was Hare's only attempt at opera. Infinite, about a married transexual

145

with three children coming to terms with his new female Idenfity. He
directed the production In New York In 1987 and it was a complete
failure. In terms of writing and staging. To date It has not even been
published.

Failure behind the foofiights. however. may have turned Hare Into
an even more focused playwright. After a hiatus from theatre..during
which he wrote and directed two films. EQIJSDILNIQDI and Strapless. both
released In 1989. he returned to the stages of the Nafional with what. to
date. has been his most amblflous achievement: W90.

MurmuflmJudges. and W. a trilogy of plays examining
British social institutions.

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Racing Demon

What Hare and Howard Brenton seemingly began with Pravda.
their 1985 collaborative satire of the Fleet Street press. continued with
Hare's next solo efforts. an entire trilogy of plays devoted to the dissection
of some of Britain's most revered Institutions. Combining the best
elements of his earlier work—contrasts between the public and private.
Insightful criticism. strong female characters, and timely Issues—the three
plays. even with occasional structural and production flaws. proved the
playwrights success as Britain's foremost dramatist of popular dissent to
even his harshest critics.

The genesis of the trilogy lies In Hare's curiosity and gentle prodding
of the venerable Church of England. an institution some feel Is mired In
dogma and hopelessly behind the fimes. stuck performing mundane
social work while longing to provide spiritual fulfillment. The path that led
him to Racingpemgn began. as Hare says. accidentally. He explains, "In
the summer of 1987. I set off to drive north towards York University.
intending to visit the General Synod of the church of England. with no
other motive but curiosity. I had the vague suspicion that priests
pretending to be politicians might present me with an entertaining
spectacle. l was not even planning a play. After the first session. I
detained a passing bishop and. wanfing to be able to remember what
he was then telling me about hell. I asked him If he would allow me to
take a few notes." (Hare Askingflgund 2)

The playwright's "few notes" led to volumes of dictated and

transcribed conversations with vicars. bishops. and parishioners as he

147

became more and more Interested In the dramafic possibillfies of the
current state of organized religion In Britain. Then Richard Eyre. his friend
of more than twenty years and Director of the Nafional Theatre. helped
provide the Inspiration for the play's plot. "I was able to put him In contact
with a vicar who had been fired from his church." says Eyre. "It was
something that was making the news quite a bit at the time." (Eyre
[0180:1910

This led to one of the central Issues of the play: the function of the
Individual conscience within the Church. and the Church's role In a
decidedly secular community. With his dramaflc and themaflc structures
In mind. Hare confinued his Inquiries then "put the research on one side
and wrote a work of pure fiction." (Hare flaflormfilsgussign) It was not his
Intention to portray any of the real people he met or replicate their crises
and triumphs. In W. a book he subsequenfly published
containing excerpts from his interviews. Hare expresses his disdain for
slavishly true-to-llfe docudramas. He writes. "The plays which flowed from
It (the research) are. In so far as anything Is. pure works of fiction. I am not
a great fan of works of art whose chief alm Is to lmItate reality. I think the
Brlfish cinema Is chiefly debilitated by Its Inslstence on stealing Its stories
from newspapers. I distrust faction. and I cannot see the point of plays
and films which seek to reproduce how Christine Keeler and Gandhi once
walked and talked. No film aiming to explore the psychology of. say.
Richard Nixon can do justice to the boundless complexity of the man
himself. A play In which an actor has to walk around pretending to be

William Shakespeare is. In my opinion. doomed In advance." (Hare Asking
ALQLIDQ 4)

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The result of his work was a triumph for Hare and the Nafional
Theatre. RQQIIJQQQIDQD. a tale of four London clergymen battling faith.
bureaucracy. helrarchy. and tradition. garnered four Best Play awards. as
well as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor recognitions for two of Its
company. Possibly the only producfion In the Nafional's history to perform
on all three of Its stages. It entered the repertoire of the Cottesloe Theatre
on February 8. 1990. transferred to the larger Olivier stage In August of
that year. and returned the following autumn to the Lyttelton before
touring the United Kingdom.

Hare did not have to wait for critical kudos. however. to realize he
had come upon a formula for success. "I had the Idea. during the
rehearsals of Raglugflemgn. that we (Hare and Eyre) should try and do
three plays rather than just one. I wanted eventually to put three plays
together In one day—the Church. the Law and the State." (Hare
QIsgusslgn) After his very public fracas with Frank Rich over his directorial
skill In the American production of W. however. Hare was
hesitant to oversee such a project himself. For this reason he turned to
Richard Eyre as the director for W and continued the
alliance for the next two plays.

Eyre explains. "I directed a play of David's in the "705. then for many
years he did his own work. But with W he didn't want to
direct. I wasn't available so (Howard) Davies did It. Then. when he
directed It In New York It confirmed his view he was sort of out of
sympathy with the role of the director." When the chance to rejoin the
playwright In a challenging new series of plays came up. Eyre was ready.
"Both of us enjoyed working on Racingflemgn." the director says. "and we

felt strongly the value of an ensemble and continuity. At the same time I

149

was keen to find a project that was very amblfious—a grand folly—and this
seemed to be the Idea. If you run a theatre you need those landmarks In
your life and In the life of the theatre; This challenges everyone Involved."
(Eyre IDIQMBMD

Dramatic works on the grand scale the two men had In mind are
rare In modern drama. Wagner's Ring Cycle. lbsen's EQQLQILDI and Peter
Brook's Mahabharata rival Hare's trilogy In terms of epic length. a quality
the playwright praises. "I love long days In the theatre." he says. "When
they work. they do make you more open and receptive. There Is a
wonderful stage you go through at about the seventh or eighth hour at
which all your crlfical faculfies are gone and all your resistance Is gone
and you become more open and you simply accept." (Hare Djsausslan)
And August Wilson's chronicle of African-American experience In each
decade of the twentieth century—MaRaInmmaakfiattam. flanges. Jae
W. We and Minimum-
compares In terms of extended narrafives around a broad central theme.
None of these. however. assume the authority In wide-ranging subjects

the way Hare's plays do.

On a socio-polltlcal scale Raalnafleman found Its admirers and
detractors among the London press. clergy. and theatre-going public.
Few refute some of the despairing staflsfics the play offers—English clergy
are largely overworked and underpaid. parish church attendance on
most Sundays Is less than 1%. and the church often finds Itself desperately
behind the fimes. clinging to doctrines that are often Irrelevant and
ineffective In their present environment. Some. however. argue that

there are Important facets to the crisis of faith Issue within the church that

I

150

Hare has not presented. A few even point to what seems an obvious
agnostic bias on Hare's part as a barrier to objective judgement of
religious Issues. At the human level. though. Raalngfiaman Is one of
Hare's most effecfive plays to date. It combines humor with pathos while
doing what Hare does best: exploring vital public Issues In lntensely
personal realms.

The central character In the play. based loosely on Eyre's
discharged vicar. Is Uonel Espy. a reverend In a central London parish
who has found the rift between his theological ideals and daily
obligations Increasingly difficult to manage. The play opens In his church
as he kneels to pray. His sollloquoy plunges the producfion right Into the
question of the validity of religious faith In hostile environs.

"God. Where are you?" are the first words of the scene. Uonel
continues. "I wish you would talk to me. God. It Isn't just me. There's a
general feeling. This Is what people are saying In the parish. They want to
know where you are. The joke wears thin. You must see that. You never
say anything. All right. people expect that. It's understood. But people
also think. I didn't realize when he said nothing. he really did mean
absolutely nothing at all." (Hare Baalnafieman 1) Both In the writing and
performance. Uonel's prayer plays as a curiously touching combination of
suppllance and humor. From the outset. the characters In the play are
real people with mulfi-leveled personallfles and problems.

Hare uses sollllqules like the one that begins the play Interspersed
with more conventional dialogue scenes to provide extra Insight Into the
thoughts of the principal characters. After Uonel's private soul-searching
In the church the scene changes to the Bishop of Southwark's home

where Uonel Is meeting his superior for a working dinner. The change In

151

location ls customarily rapid and fluid. Hare's cinematic writing style.
already menfioned. was assisted In Raglaafleman‘s production by
designer Bob Crowley. who created. originally for the Cottesloe. a simple.
bare. crucifix-shaped playing area. Changes of locale were marked by
changes In lighting and the addlflon or subtraction of basic furniture Items
or small properties.

Before their meal. Southwark Introduces the play's principal conflict
to Uonel. Amid pleasant conversafion about English dinner entrees and
their wives' special dishes. the Bishop mentions a problem In Uonel's
congregation. "There Is an element In your parish who are unsure of you."
he says. "Maybe question the power of your convictions." In typical dry
English humor he confinues. "They're notsure you still believe In the rules of
the club." (Hare 2)

His defenses Instanfly up. Uonel shows where his main concerns lie.
"What parishioners are these?" he demands. "It‘s a largely working-class
parlsh...l don't have to tell you. Christ came to help the poor...But there Is.
I know. a small middle-class rump...A rump of regular communicants
who've been coming to the church for a very long tlme...And since the
poor are not given to visiting bishops" palaces. I assume the complaint is
from them?" (Hare 2-3)

The bishop chooses to return to an age-old dilemma for the church.
one that has split England's largest congregation many times over
centuries of worship. "We are talking about the service of Communion."
he tells Uonel. "Sometimes you even seem uninterested In the
sacramental side of your work." It Is this expectafion of the Church that
has the frustrated reverend questioning his faith. With Quaker earnestness

he tells Southwark. "It Is fairly desperate. I wouldn't even say the Church

152

was a joke. It's an Irrelevance. It has no connection with most people's
lives. A lot of people are struggling to make a life at all...Perhaps. as the
years go by. that becomes more Important than ritual." (Hare 3)

Uonel's allegiance to the poor. though. while heroic. Is not the
concern of Southwark and the Church's governors. He resolutely tells the
vicar. "The administration of the Sacrament. Finally that's what you're
there for. As a priest you have only one duty. That's to put on a
show...We're not talking about opinion. We're talking about authority.
History. What the Church of England is. It's a disparate body held
together by a common liturgy." (Hare 4) Then. with an ominous warning
just to "fulfill your Job description." the bishop leads Uonel off to dinner.

This scene. the Inclflng Incident of the play. in which the old and
new guard of the Church of England briefly cross Ideologies. prepares the
audience for several similar discussions that follow. attempting to establish
or redefine the Church's mission. This philosophical floundering was one of
the most striking aspects for the playwright during his Investigations. He

writes:

Very early on In my researches Into the Church of
England." he writes. "I was astonished to find a group of Inner-
cIty priests who had virtually abandoned their aim of bringing
souls to Christ. but who were Instead Interpreting their
religious mission as social work. pure and simple. Although I
myself had been educated In a devout Christian school and
was now moved to write a play which sought to restore to
the stage the ancient subject of man's relationship with the
gods. I found to my surprise that many good priests almost
refused to discuss God with me. They had ceased to believe
that the divine could. In any significant way. be separated
from the social. They were quite clear-minded In seeing
themselves as part of a society which had. to all Intents and
purposes. abandoned Its responsibility to the poor. Although
most of them made glancing references to government

153

policy or to the failure of politicians to understand the
conditions In which they worked. their primary Interest was
not In Ideology. nor. even less. In allocating blame. They just
wanted to bandage wounds. Into the vacuum created by
society's Indifference. they were pouring as much love and
practical help as they could. To do this. they were working
long days. and moreover on salaries considerably below
those of social workers or of officials at the DHSS. (Hare

ASKIDQATQUDQ 6)

The opposite side of Uonel's social work mentality is represented In
Baalaafleman by his conservative adversary. Reverend Tony Ferris. an
upstart associate gaining missionary zeal. The scene that follows Lionel
and Southwark's dinner Is a post-coital exchange between Tony and his
girlfriend. Frances, In her apartment. He has already dressed while she still
relaxes on the floor. wrapped In a sheet. There Is the sense from the
beginning that their relationship Is In decline. due mainly to Tony's
devotion to his calling. While she encourages him to stay and spend
some personal time together. he hedges. drawn to his work. "It's Just
tonight I want to work on a scheme I have." he tells her. "which I want to
put to the team. I've got an Idea for common worship. to try and involve
the Catholics and Methodists as well. I wanted to start with a day for
World Peace. Or something. If we could get everyone together It would
be the most incredible coup." (Hare 5)

While Uonel. who has been administering to one parish or another
for many years and has had the chance to see the drasfic decline In
living standards In the clfies worsen. has become somewhat jaded and
sees more of the earthly. practical side of his duties. the less experienced
Tony owns the Idealism and folly of youth. He Is still urged toward a more

spiritual calling.

154

Uke Uonel. however. his calling Is taking Its toll on personal
relafionshlps. Frances complains to him. "It's always Christ. We're alone.
We make love. We have a little time. And then Christ enters the room."
(Hare 6) It becomes clear that the purpose of this scene is to show Tony
casfing Frances aside In favor of the Church. Though he puts on the front
of being accomodating. offering to stay for dinner. then reneglng. lying
about an aunt visiting town. Inside the strain of carrying on his relationship
with Frances has worn him down.

"I know this sounds terrible." he finally tells her. "but the fact Is. our
relationship...well. we understand. It's a caring and loving relationship.
with some eventual purpose. It's In the context of...well. of our future. Of
one day marrying...l mean. you know I would never...the physical
experience. I mean. you understand It's always In the context of a long-
term commitment...But I have been getting worried how it may look to
the rest of the world." (Hare 7)

While Uonel and Tony are two representatives of life within Britain's
theological framework. Frances is the first character who Is part of the
counWs Increasingly secular majority. Though she Initially found Tony's
faith endearing. and still understands his need for it. she doesn't speak Its
language or hold Its principles. "I didn't make love In any "context." she
tells him. "Whatever thay may mean. I made love because I wanted you.
Is that really such a terrible Idea?" (Hare 9)

After the couple agrees to part ways because of their seemingly
Irreconcilable different Interests. the fourth scene begins In Lionel's sitting
room. where he ls counseling one of his parishioners whose husband has
been abusing her. She tells the cleric about an aborfion she was forced

to have. the most recent of several. and asks the Church's stance on the

155

Issue. Initially Uonel attempts to tow the party line. "What does It say?
About abortion?" he tells her. "Abortion Is wrong." But Immediately his
humanistic sympathies rise up and he conflnues. "I'm not saying you were
wrong." (Hare 12)

Just as Tony arrives for a scheduled meeting of the parlsh's team of
vicars Uonel requests they join him in a prayer for the woman's troubles.
When they are finished. the woman asks If the prayer will help. Uonel's
reply. an honest one. Is simply. "I don't know. It can't do any harm." In a
similar vein he continues. "I don't know If God" help you. But now you do
have a friend. You have me. This house Is always open. Whenever
you‘re lonely." (Hare 13)

Though there Is a certain amount of confidentiality that must be
maintained concemlng a vicar and someone who seeks counsel. Tony
cannot help but quesfion Uonel's methods of handling the sltuafion.
Immediately their philosophies are at odds. "Is It deliberate you never
mention the Bible at all?" he asks Uonel. The elder vicar. however.
practiced In this kind of sltuaflon. Is ready for Tony's scrutiny. "If I give her a
Bible." he tells him. "her husband will find It. Poor thing. she's not all that
brlght...lf he finds out she's been to see me. he'll get even more hostile.
The marriage Is In trouble already. We don't want to make It worse by
making him feel the do-gooders are all ganglng up on him."

Uonel's experience with the woman presents another problem In
the Church's growing role as government surrogate. "I can call the Social
Services." he tells Tony. "You know the mess they're In. And to say what?
There's a young woman h00ked on anfidepressants who's living In fear of

her husband? You know what they'll say? "So what else ls new?‘ Or else

156

they'll refer her to a doctor. Well. It's the doctors who got her Into her
present state. They referred her to me. And so on. For ever." (Hare 14)

Still. the Ideallstlc Tony can't help but wonder. "Isn't this the perfect
moment to tell her about Christ?" The separate approaches the two men
take to their jobs are now firmly established. in medical parlance. one
wishes to treat the pafient's body. the other his mind. Uonel retorts. "We're
not salesmen. We don't look at people's suffering and think. "Oh. this Is
excellent. now we've got a foot In the door." Whatever we are we're not
ambulance chasers." (Hare 15)

Their debate Is Interrupted by the arrival of a third member of their
parish team. the Reverend Donald "Streaky" Bacon. Streaky. apfly named
for hIs habit of cycling to work through crowded London streets. adds a
measure of Ievity to the play. While he parficlpates fully In discussions
about parish operations and Is a fully fleshed character In his own right.
one of his principal roles Is nonetheless a figure of comic relief.

In a huff about the lack of respect motorists give bicycle riders. he Is
oblivious to the fact he has Just Interrupted an Important conversation.
Before Tony can bring Uonel back to the point. Reverend Harry
Henderson. their final member. joins the ranks. bringing with him bags of
tea. coffee. and snacks for the meeting. Tony's point Is now lost amid the
shuffle of pre-buslness tea flme and Harry‘s excitement over an exorcism
he will witness that evening.

The confusion caused by the gathering of the vicars further '
Illustrates Tony's separation from the older men In the group. While they
have all become comfortable and casual with the proceedings and
seem to know the proper decorum for debate and discussion. Tony ls

frustrated by their seeming unconcem. Finally. when they noflce he Is

157

troubled. he tells his partners. "We were discussing how much we should
be pushing Christ at people. and how much they should be left to find
him for themselves." (Hare 17)

His challenge serves as a call to order and the group gives him their
attention. Tony repeats his complaint about Uonel's working methods
and claims they may be responsible for the Church's recent failings. "We
feel we've had a good Sunday It between us we attract one per cent.
One per cent of our whole catchment area." he tells his associates. His
visionary side takes control and he lectures. "I want a full church. Is that so
disgraceful? I want to see the whole community all worshipping under
one roof. That's what I want. And that's what I believe the Lord wants as
well. I'm the junior member. this Is my first parish. I've no right to bring this
' up. i can tell. we can go about our business. we can look at our
schedules. but really If in three years we don't fill the churches on Sunday.
I'm sorry. then I think we'll have failed." (Hare 17-18)

For all his fervor. though. he cannot Inspire like emotions In the more
experienced clerics. The Issue Is momentarily swept under the rug as
Uonel presses more pracfical concems—the working schedule for the
week. He distributes stacks of calendars with hospital vIsItafions. home
communions. and other responsibilities penciled In and Jokes. "I sometimes
think that If the Lord Jesus returned today. the Church of England would
ask him to set out his Ideas on a single sheet of A4." (Hare 20)

Tony. however. Is not amused. Thinklnghe Is being Ignored. he
once again tries to press his point. only to be told the scheduling Issue. for
the moment. matters more. His alienaflon from the group seems to go
unnoticed by the other men unfit finally he asks what. besides a desire to

help people and a basic belief system. holds them together. In a stroke

158

of ominous foreshadowing Uonel replies. "Why. Tony. surely the fact that
we're friends?" (Hare 21)

The relationship of the four vicars In this scene Is one of the most
enticing aspects of Raajnajzaman. While several key Issues are raised
and statisfics are bantered about. the playwright never succumbs to
dldacficlsm. The attention given to the human qualifies of the characters
ls rewarded by a heightened sense of empathy for their plight.
Furthermore. the mixture of admirable qualities and personal foibles In
each personality creates more dramatic tension-no one man's view Is
clearly right or wrong. This variegated use of character coloring from the
dramafist's palette is not as successful later In the trilogy. particularly In the
next ploy. Murmuflngsludges.

After he Is apparenfiy spurned by his colleagues. Tony appears next
In a sollloquy at the church. where he Is able to give free reign to his
frustration In a prayer. "Is anything rightwith the Church?" he asks. "I
mean. Is the big joke that having lived and died on the Cross, Jesus would
bequeath us—what?-total confusion. a host of good Intentions. and an
endlessly revolving Cyclostyle machine? Is he really entrusting his Divine
Mission to people like the Reverend Donald Bacon. universally known as
Streaky?" He confinues his complaint with a further portend of things to
come. "Christ didn't come to sit on a committee. He didn't come to do
social work. He came to preach repentance. And to offer everyone the
chance of redemption...That's why he came. God. please help Uonel to
see this. Because otherwise I think things are going to get rough." (Hare
22)

Following a pattern of Introducing characters. then providing them

with scenes to reveal deeper aspects of their personallfies. the sixth scene

159

occurs at the home of Reverend Harry Henderson. Uke each of the other
men. Harry has personal concerns that occasionally Interfere with his life In
the church. In later scenes It becomes obvious that Uonel's occupation
with social work has distracted him from any kind of personal life. a fact
that has parflcularly Worn on his marriage. Tony's feelings of guilt rising
from his sexual relationship with Frances cause him to abandon her.
Harry's particular burden is even less acceptable to society and the
Church: He Is homosexual.

His Scottish boyfriend. Ewan. bears the brunt of Harry's confusion
and difficult predicament. His Job as a Church representafive makes It
Impossible for the two of them to be seen together In public. to carry on
some semblance of a normal. loving relationship. Ewan complains that
Harry should fight for him. but Harry's response Is that his work Is more
Important. "I am the vessel." he says. "I am only the channel through
which God's love can pass. That makes me. as a person. totally Irrelevant.
As a person. nobody should even be conscious I'm there. If I do
something which Is In any sense worrying...if I upset my communicants In
any way. then the focus is moved. From the Lord Jesus. Oh to his minister.
And that Is not where the focus belongs." In the end his sentiment ls. "I'm
a priest. I have to soak up my punishment." (Hare 24-25)

Harry's description of his job In the clergy provides yet another way
the Church's representatives view themselves. Uonel Is pracficai. a social
worker: Tony. idealistic. a converter: and Harry Is almost neutral. a
facilitator. The scene also provides another facet of the myriad dlfflculfies
the Church faces In the late twentieth century. As homosexual
relationships are accepted by more and more social Insfitufions—Iocal

governments. businesses. clubs. the entertainment Industry. and even

160

other denominations of faith—ls It a matter of adapt-or-perlsh for the
Church of England?

As the previous scene ends with Ewan leaving Harry and returning
to Glasgow. the next scene begins outside the home of Stella Marr. the
woman who sought help from Uonel earlier In the play. In Hare's earliest
version of the play. the one published to coincide with the play's opening
In February of 1990. this scene Is a confrontation between Tony and
Stella's abusive husband. a hulking West Indian named Jabbai. At the
end of his pafience with Uonel's gentle mlnlstrations. Tony Intends to solve
the domesfic dlspufing himself by reasoning with Jabbal and converting
both husband and wife. He Is thwarted. however. by Jabbai's
stubbornness and ends up actually fighting with him.

The scene that actually reached production Is quite different. In
the same surroundings. Tony encounters Stella herself. She Is surprised to
find the curate at her door and frightened he wIll anger her husband. Her
face has been scolded with hot water. a misfortune she claims was an
accident she caused herself. Doubtful. Tony Insists on helping her. When
she denies his offer he righteously and resolutely refuses to leave her
alone. "I won't stay away." he tells Stella. "Can I tell you something? Jesus
has your Interests at heart. Yes he does. But he can't help you—I tell you
this from my own experience-he can't help you until you admit your own
problems to yourself...Oh yes. and If that means my standing here—yesl
Standing here outside this house unfll I find your husband. until I get him to
face what he's done. then OK. I can wait here for days." (Hare Raging
Deman‘ rehearsal draft 35-36)

There Is a marked difference between Tony's religious convictions

and the professed piety of other Hare characters. such as Tom In line

161

Wanna. Tom's Christian business ethics. hls '80s brand of
evangelism. Is fodder for satirical show. It Is a false mustache of faith
recognized as a stereotype. particularly in America where several
denominations are capable of spawning similar vociferous. self-serving
figures. To his credit. Hare resisted the urge to typify Tony this way. The
young reverend's beliefs. while not fully developed and sometimes
naively used. are sincere. Owing to this. he Is an Infinitely more
empathefic character.

Tony's attempt at forced conversion Is followed by a return to
Lionel's home. where Frances has called to see the senior vicar. She Is
met by Uonel's wife. Heather. a woman who. though hospitable. seems
alone and detached from her husband's work. While waiting for Uonel's
return she tells Frances. "He's on his rounds. He gives communion to the
housebound on Tuesdays. Then he's Chairman of the local school...And a
housing charity. Also ex-prlsoners. There's a discussion group. And the
mentally III. They believe now in something called "care In the
community'. That means closing down the hospitals and letting them
wander the streets. So Uonel does a group. That's also Tuesdays." (Hare
29) She has obviously become accustomed to her husband's absence.
Even when Uonel arrives her role Is simply that of a servant to guests and a
quiet occupier of other rooms In the house. always deferring to Uonel's
need to work.

Frances' visit Is not merely a social call. She has come to warn
Uonel about potential danger from the higher administrafion of the
Church. Though not devout herself. she Is a member of the Pamells. a

well known church family with connections to Bishops and Cardinals. As

162

such. she Is privy to Inside Inforrnafion which, In this case. may be helpful.
to the vicar.

Her caution to Uonel Is to beware of the Bishop of Southwark. Tired
of the complaints he Is receiving from Uonel's parishioners. he wants to be
rid of the troublesome reverend. Uonel. though. for all his experience In
the Church and the community. Is also capable of showing surprising
nalvete. He Is appreciaflve of Frances' concern. but refuses to believe he
can be ousted from his position because of a promise given to him by a
lower bishop. "You can't overrule a promise." he tells her. "How can you?
It was freely given. It was In good faith. I mean. now I sound patronizing.
which I alwayshate. But you don't understand the Church. It has Its weak
moments. But this was a promise. And thats the end of It." (Hare 36)

They also discuss Tony. Frances" relafionshlp with him and his evident
obsession with evangelical Chrlsfianity. "He's thrown himself at the job."
Frances observes. "He's Incredibly naive In that way. He wants to get hold
of people and solve them." Uonel replies. "It's a common falling. When
you first start. You go In too hard. Usually with a lot of talk about Jesus.
Always a danger sign in my experience." (Hare 34)

There Is an odd sort of attraction between Uonel and Frances
evident In the script and even more obvious In the play's original
production. Early In their conversation Uonel admits to her. "I did actually
meet you...Years ago. In a deanery garden. In Norwich. You were a litfle
girl In a pink dress. I was just on the verge of getting married. I remember.
You were Incredibly beautiful." Then. as If to excuse a possible
lmpropriety. he tells her. "It's the sole advantage of being a priest.
Sometimes you can say what you think. Looking at you now. nothing has

changed." (Hare 32)

163

It Is an undercurrent to their friendship that continues throughout
the play. Just before she leaves Uonel tells her. "Now I know Tony's crazy.
To have given you up." And. though he feels instantly guilty for such an
"unchrlsfian" thought. Frances comforts him. "It was human. I'd say It was
the most reassuring thing that I heard." (Hare 37)

With Frances' announcement about the Bishop of Southwark‘s
lntenfions to be rid of Lionel. all the necessary groundwork has been laid
for the dramatic action of the play. The characters have all been
introduced and their relationships explained. and the goals and dangers
for each of them are known. The last few scenes of the first act escalate
these complications.

The next sollloquy belongs to Frances. She walks into a church and.
according to the playwright's directions. "looks round like one who has
been away a long flme." (Hare 37) It Is a feeling Hare himself probably
most readily Identifies with. Frances' prayer begins. "This Is stupid." and
becomes more venomous from there. "May I say I don't even believe In
you?" she challenges. "Nor does anyone I know. Except my family. Who
don't count. And Tony. And Uonel. possibly. In other words you're
fielding a very weak team. I'd say you were Accrington Stanley. Whereas
my lot-the non-believerswyou'd have to say we're looking pretty sharp."

In some of Hare's most stinging crlficism of religious faith In general.
lines that were published but did not actually make production. Frances
confinues. "And we don't do that awful claiming you do. "Well. they're
Accrington fans really. they just don't go to the games." "Well. they're
Accrington in their daily lives.‘ Every time someone does something nice.
we don't say. "Ah. there you are. that's the Accrington In them.‘ Or when

the sun comes over the mountain. "Oh. look. proof that Accrington exists.“

~164

Her lndlctrnent Is not all such well-crafted rhetoric. With obvious deep
seated resentment born of experience she bursts. "You're not a moral
God. Your style ls more 'what a sweet babyl Whaml Give It cancerl"

Frances. too. joins the chorus of other voices that are harbingers of
Uonel's Inevitable downfall. "I like the idea of jusflce better than God." she
says. "Because God Is arbitrary. As everyone knows. Except Uonel. And
he will very shortly find out." (Hare 38)

Though Hare's topic In Baalnafieman Is the Church, other Items of
scrutiny sfill appear. The scene following Frances" prayer takes place In a
wine bar In Glasgow. where Ewan encounters Tommy Adair. a journalist
searching fora scandalous story about a particular Church of England
vicar whose sexual habits may be questionable to a good part of his
paper's readership.

After asking a few leading questions about Ewan"s leisure time and
the pracfices of homosexuals In the era of AIDS. the reporter comes
direcfly to the point. He wants to pay Ewan for his story. He tells him. "I
am talking about sums of money so large that they would fund the Press
Council fora year. But we must have specifics." ELQlLdQ has already
proven Hare's distaste for the pracfices of the press In England. It Is not
likely. then. Tommy's digging will get hIm far.

Despite his treatment by Harry. Ewan tells the writer. "You'll never
get me. you know. You won't get anyone. I'll tell you why. Because life In
this country Is such a bloody sewer. But what people sfill have...whlch Is
theirs...whlch belongs to them...thch is preclous...ls what happens In
private...And that's why you want It. That's why you want to slime all over
It. Because it is private. And In private. there's still some decency." (Hare
40)

165

With sentiments like these Hare accomplishes several feats as a
dramafist. Firstly. he vents his own feelings and frustrations. It Is well known
the playwright has a passion for privacy and the rights of Individuals to
conduct their lives as free of outside Interference as possible. Secondly.
he creates tense, Interesflng dramafic situations and dialogue. Finally. the
reason such scenes are so appealing. he Identifies with his audiences and
even expands their horizons. It may be that a good part of his audience
doesn't believe homosexual relationships within the Church can be
condoned. Yet he relies on Britons" resolute defense of their private lives
to gain sympathy for characters like Ewan and the Reverend Harry
Henderson.

As Tommy leaves Ewan at the bar with an ominous threat that he'll
be In touch. the scene changes to the empty chamber of the Synod
where the governmental body of the Church Is meeting. Streaky and
Harry. In attendance for the first Synod session. have arrived early to talk
to the Bishop of Kingston about Uonel. They have all known each other
for some time and much of their conspiratorial conversation reverberates
with overtones of backroom pollficklng In the House of Commons. a
similarity no doubt Intended by the playwright.

Once apprised of Uonel's perilous sltuafion. Kingston admits his
promise to the cleric that his job would never be In danger. and agrees
something should be done before his quarrel with Southwark takes a
nasty turn. He tells the men. "1 would say the heart of my job was
preventing problems growing Into Issues." (Hare 43)

As an example of a problem becoming an Issue. Kingston offers the
current debate before the Synod. which concerns the ritual pracflces of

the Freemasons. "We all know It's extremely peculiar when they roll their

166

trousers up and wrap hankies round their faces." he says. "But do they
then perform an act of worship? That's the only question. If they do. then
It's blasphemy." Uke politicians facing similar no-wIn situations on Issues of
the state. the Church has to find creative ways of addressing possible
breaches of Its codes of conduct without allenafing Its constituency.
"What's the result?" Kingston asks. "Internal dlssenslon. We give mortal
offence to 50.000 people who are also members of the Church of
England. And who are rather better than almost everyone at turning up
every week. Why risk it?"

His answer? "If on the other hand. we form a committee. the
committee commissions a report. the report Is referred. saying well. er
almost. but this Isn't quite an act of worship. not quite. and would the
Masons mind changing Just one or two words? Well then. what are we
left with? A harmless eccentricity...Avolding the crunch Is what the whole
thing's all about." (Hare 43-44)

Obviously one of the principle lessons Hare learned In his research
at the Synod was the far-reaching Influence of poliflcs. even In
ecclesiasfical matters. Given his penchant for the polifical. the discovery
undoubtedly pleased him. The debate on Freemasonry was one that the
playwright actually witnessed at the Church's meeting. and Is chronicled
In his chapter on Raalnafieman In ASKIDQALQUDQ. In his prefatory remarks

he explains:

The actual government of the Church is exceedingly
complicated. but the general work of Synod...Involves
debafing and voting on papers and resolutions which are
submitted to It. Although there are officially no parties In
what ls either a circular or a semi-circular formation. the
spectator quickly spots facfions which group together to
represent certain views within the Church.

167

At the risk of caricature. to which devout Christians
rightly object. It Is possible to Isolate three dominant
tendencies: the Anglo-Catholics. with their High Church
emphasis on ritual and tradition: the Evangelicals. with their
strong beliefs In good and evil. and personal salvation: and
the Liberals. who. In the demonology of the other two groups.
are held to be In a controlling ascendancy over the whole
Church. Individual onalfies and alliances are actually quite
complex. and votes are satisfyingly difficult to predict. (Hare
14)

The playwright's observations about the factions within the Church
are evident In his portrayal of the four members of Uonel's parish team
and the higher administration. Southwark. who earlier stressed Uonel's
duty as a provider of communion. Is obviously aligned with the Anglo-
Catholics. Tony. perhaps unknowingly, has placed himself squarely
alongside the Evangelical branch. and the other three men-Harry.
Streaky. and Uonel—probably fall haphazardly In the catch-all category of
Uberals. '

Furthermore. though Hare claims not to have copied personalities
direcfiy from life to the stage. he Is not above extracting the things
people say and adapfing It Into dialogue. His transcriptions of some of
the Synod speeches during the Freemasonry debate reveal bits of
speeches that made the cut Into Baalnafieman's production. Dr. John
Habgood. the Archbishop of York. for example. was the one who
described Freemasonry as "a harmless eccentricity." saying, "Men gain a
certain pleasure from doing things they wouldn't do In front of their wives."
He also quipped. "I would have difficulty In worshipping an architect. with
or without the Church Commissioners" approval." (Hare W 18)

These and many other actual quotes found their way Into the

mouths of Hare's characters. While the playwright wasn't. In his own

168

words. attempting to "ImItate reality." he was still discriminating enough to
rely on the real world for creative Inspiration.

The political aspect of the play Is not confined to the churchmen.
Hare admits to being ‘very conscious that the present condition of the
Church and other Instituflons he examined for his trilogy owed much to
the Thatcher government. the Tories. Accordingly. the Conservatives are
dragged Into Lionel's present crisis. Streaky tells Kingston that the Leader
of the House Is one of the members of Uonel's congregation and that
may be part of the problem. "He hears Uonel's sermons. He's heard them
for years." Streaky says. "They tend to harp a bit on certain themes. The
divided nafion. The failings of materialism. The Importance of devoting
our lives to the poor. He's a Tory minister who sits through If every Sunday.
Imagine." (Hare 45)

His Implication Is that the minister Is the one who blew the whistle on
Uonel and Is pressuring Southwark to replace him. Kingston. however.
Immediately balks at confronting the Issue. "This Is really not something
you should try to pursue." he tells Uonel's defenders. Referring to yet
another crisis for the Church. Its tenuous relafionshlp with the State. he
says. "The tensions are Impossible. Ever since we failed to confer on the
Falklands expedition the theological status of a holy war. Church and
State are held together by a single thread. It's not even a threadl It's
dental flossl" (Hare 46)

Streaky and Harry. however. are shrewd manipulators. and they
convince Kingston that It Is In everyone's best Interests for him to put In a
show of support for Uonel. As the members of Synod start to enter the hall
for the debate. the scene ends with a cynical observation from Kingston.

Watching the men In legal wigs and gowns assemble. he remarks. "Well.

169

here they come. The great debaters. Democracy at work. The search
for formulae with the maximum of ambiguity combined with a minimum
of offence. The Lord in these matters guide us." (Hare 48)

The last scene In the first act Is a brief exchange between Uonel .
and Tony. Having been warned by Streaky and Harry that the young
curate is going to be dining with Southwark and possibly discussing Uonel's
position. he has come to rally support from his parish partner. Finding him
in the church In the act of prayer. Lionel bides his time. then finally
interrupts. Still. with his career In the Church at stake. he cannot bring
himself to raise the issue. He invites Tony to dinner. is naturally refused.
and left alone as Tony rushes off for his meeting with the Bishop.

Lionel ends the act asking. "What can you do. Lord? You tell me.
You show me the way. Go on. You explain why all this hurt has to come.
Tell me. You understand everything. Why do the good always fight
among themselves?" (Hare 49) While he Is not literally tied to the tracks or
gripping a ledge several stories up. Uonel's predicament at the end of the
first act provides the equivalent of a cliffhanging curtain. meant to build

Interest for what follows intermission.

When the second act begins. not much fime has passed. Tony
arrives In the dining room of the Savoy Hotel for his dinner with Southwark
only to find Harry and Streaky waiflng to Intercept him. In their efforts to
save Uonel they have decided to make one final attempt to stop the
problem at Its source. In an amusing manner. the two vicars escort their
younger comrade to a back room In the restaurant where they try to ply
him with drinks and get hIm to change his mind about complaining to the

bishop.

170

Comically. Streaky recommends. "I'd have half-a-dozen oysters.
And follow It up with Chateaubriand. Call It a Last Supper. And I wonder
which one are you?" (Hare 52) Though Tony has given up alcohol.
Streaky continues to attack rounds of tequila sunrises with a vengeance
and. owing to his Inebrlated state. becomes more boisterous In his
arguments. _

When Harry and Streaky make a plea for comraderie and loyalty.
Tony counters with their obligation to the Church and laity. In his opinion.
Uonel failed miserably when he sent Stella back home to be abused
again by her husband. "He's tired." Tony suggests. "And why Is he tired?
There you have It. That's my whole point. Uonel is fired because he gets
no strength from the Gospel. That's the problem. He's fired because he
isn't getting anything back." (Hare 54)

Though Tony's character Is In the unenviable position of playing the
antagonist to the very sympathefic Uonel. his own plight Is argued quite
effectively. His beliefs and actions rest on a purity of lnterpretaflon that. In
an Ideal world. might be more desirable. He tells his companions about
an Incident In college when he quesfloned a lecturing bishop about
Church beliefs. "I said. 'Blshop. what's the present thinking on hell?‘ "Hell?'
he said. "Yes.' He said. "Well. we believe In It." I said, 'I see. Then why do
we hear so little about It? It doesn't come up much in the pulpit these
days." He said. 'No. No. we try to downplay It. After all. we don't want to
put people off." (Hare 57)

For Tony. this salesmanship of Church doctrines Is reprehensible. The
only approach for hIm Is an honest. forthright one which Includes all the
fine print. "We've been given these rules." he says. "and. by chance.

what's extremely convenient. these rules are all set down In a book...And

171

this book Is on sale. it's actually available...You can actually take It. you
can actually go and say. "What Is the poslfion on this? What Is the
thinking?" Oh yes. Look. There we are. Matthew. for Instance. What
does It say? Ah. there we are. There's a line. A Iltfie line of print. Actually
written down. "If a man do not believe In me. then he ls damned." (Hare
57-58) .

He reiterates his complaint that Uonel and a good many others In
the Church have become enlightened humanlsts out of what they feel Is
a necessary obligafion to the poor. but himself feels no compulsion to
serve a single class of the population just because they are
disadvantaged. Though like-minded people undoubtedly exist. In the
theatre. especially In the plays of a decidedly Left-leaning playwright like
Hare. Tony represents a rare convolution of character. He Is a clear
thinking. articulate Conservative. earnesfiy trying to help people.

In the plays of Hare's contemporaries—Howard Brenton. Alan
Ayckbourn. Christopher Hampton. Howard Barker. and others—such a
character would likely never exist. Conservatives are an extremist bunch
reduced to butts of buffoonery or. at best. straw men propped up by
weak dogma and knocked down by righteous Uberallsm. At the far end
of this treatment Is a play like Howard Brenton and Tony Howard's Afinact
Sharpjhaakj Formerly called W. the play Is an outrageously
Irreverent treatment of Margaret Thatcher's first election to office in which
the Leader Is a deranged powermonger and her Government a batch of
sycophanfic puppets.

While Hare himself has not been Immune to taking easy shots at the
Tories. his satire Is more sophisticated and characters like Tony prove he

has become. at least In recent years. more Interested In a balanced look

172

at Issues. It Is a quality In his plays that may contribute to their success
among audiences of mixed pollfical backgrounds at the Nafional
Theatre.

For all his Iucldlty. however. Tony Is not going to convince Harry and
Streaky that Uonel should be removed. nor are they destined to change
the younger man's energetic approach to what he sees as the primary
mission of the Church. As a final warning. Harry tells Tony. "it cuts both
ways...That's what we came to say. It's not In your power to get Uonel the
sack. You won't even get what you want. Why risk the damage? I mean
the damage to your own conscience. Why betray a friend when you
don't need to?" (Hare 60)

Their discussion Is Interrupted by the arrival of Southwark and
Kingston. Harry and Southwark greet one another with sincere affection.
confounding Tony who assumed they were Ideologically opposed and
therefore not friendly. They leave him to his appointment with the seed of
doubt In his mind about whether his decision Is the right one for everyone
Involved.

As the restaurant scene fades Into the background. Streaky
appears In the church for the next solilquy. Still another approach to
faith and the work of the Church ls found In his comical yet moving
prayer. "Drunk. Lord. drunk." he admits. "And blissfully happy. Can't help
It. Love the job. Love my work. Look at other people In total
bewilderment. I got to drink at the Savoy. It was wonderful. It's all
wonderful. Why can't people enjoy what they have?"

For a writer whose early life was. at best. confused by a Catholic
school upbringing. and whose later work often shows a wavering

tendency toward agnosflclsm. Hare's treatment of the clergy is

173

remarkably varied and sympathetic. Streaky continues. "Lord. I have no
theology. Can't do It...The whole things so clear. He's there. In people's
happiness. Tonight. In the taste of that drink. Or the love of my friends.
The whole thing's so simple. Infinitely loving. Why do people find It so
hard?" (Hare 63)

The next scene returns to Uonel at his home. Frances has .
befriended him and they sit playing chess. The attraction Uonel earlier
showed for Frances Is now a palpable feeling hovering between them
both. though It Is extremely Improper In the circumstances. They have Just
returned from taking his wife. Heather. to the hospital after she suffered a
minor stroke.

Typically. Uonel was absorbed In something else and didn't even
realize her danger. "I was In my study. working on my sermon." he tells
Frances gulltlly. "It's on this terrible poll taxthlng. It's very Intricate. And It's
Important I get it right. She fell In the kitchen. I heard nothing...So when
the ambulance came. I was ashamed to say. 'Well. actually. look. this is
awful. I don't know how long she's been there." (Hare 64)

For the first time the story of Uonel's children Is also revealed. Both
his son and daughter left under difficult circumstances. His daughter has
even broken off contact completely. He asks Frances. whose father Is
also so Involved In the church. why children react so negafively toward a
religious upbringing. She responds. "Because It all seems such a waste...Of
a human being. To have his mind all the time on something else. Always
to be dreaming." The sole voice of outright disbelief in the play. she
confinues. "If I were a clergyman what I'd find unbearable Is to have to
talk about what I believe. Press a button and a clergyman's duty bound

to tell me. At once. Even If he doesn't know me very well. He has to tell

174

me his Innermost belief. That's what's undignified. That's why clergymen
are funny. I'm afraid. Because they're not allowed to be private. They
wear their Inside on their outside." (Hare 66)

Before they are allowed to get too close to one another their
Infimate conversafion Is Interrupted by Heather. who has risen from bed
deliriously to find Frances. who she doesn't remember. In her home with
her husband. Though the relationship has been Innocent the moment Is
awkward because of Uonel's obvious desires. After he puts her back to
bed Frances excuses herself. telling him. "You know what It Is. It's nice. of
course. I enjoy it. sitting here. playing chess. Letting you Imagine." But.
she says. "You're not allowed any pleasure. Except the pleasure of
dreaming." (Hare 69) .

From one awkward moment to another. the scene changes to the
outside of Harry's home. where he Is met In the street by Tommy Adair. still
searching fora story on gay clergy. He Intimates that Ewan has told his
entire story and that. In exchange for cooperation. blowing the whlsfle on
other "deviant" churchmen. Harry mIghtt spare his own name.

The vlcar's response Is Immediate and aggressive. "I'll send you the
synodlcal paper on exactiy the subject you're Interested In." he flares.
"Yes. The church set up a committee some years ago. A report was
commissioned. I can let you have a copy If you like. If you have space
you can print It In full. Did you know we had a synodlcal debate? Are
you a theological correspondent? The report asserts that genital acts
between men are not necessarily wrong. Doyou know those words?
'Necessarlly'? 'Genltal'?" ,

He continues his attack. "My big strength ls. I don't believe you. No

friend of mine would have spoken to you. And anyway. my life Is

175

between me and God. And god. as I may best comprehend him. does
not work through the Sunday papers. Not at least If He's who I think He Is."
(Hare 70)

When he Is rid of the meddiesome reporter. however. Harry's show
of false bravado collapses. In a sollloquy in the church he begins his
prayer. "Lord. I don't know. Of course I'm frightened. What would you
expect? But I won't sink to their level." He recalls the difficulty of his sexual
orientation in school. remembering. "We all wore flannels. And
herringbone jackets...We smoked pipes. Long evenings spent discussing
Telldhard de Chardhln. and thinking what's his body like under the
tweed?" His troubles run deep. "Oh God. please help me." he pleads. "I
don't know. Teach me. Lord. How do you fight without hate?" (Hare 71-
72)

Though Frances and Tony have been separated for months now.
the advertising agency run by Frances' family reunites them In the next
scene. The business has offered the Church free advertising space on
billboards In the area and summoned Tony to help design the messages.
The former lovers meet underneath one of the boards to discuss the
possiblllfies.

There Is. of course. some catching up for them to do. Tony relates
his success In starflng a weekly Bible class. He also admits he decided to
Impugn Lionel when he spoke to the Bishop of Southwark. Starting to
sound a lltfle less reasonable and more fanafical. Tony now claims that.
through all his misfortunes with family and career. God Is trying to tell the
hapless Uonel something. Furthermore. he claims. Lionel Is headed for

disaster If he doesn't heed the message.

176

His decision to turn against Uonel was made easier. he claims. by his
recent genuine conversion. After vlslflng Stella and seeing the harm the
Church's neglect had done her. In a drunken fit Tony found clarity of
vision. "God told me what I was here for." he claims. "It was as If I'd never
heard him. And since then I have this Incredible power. Oh. I'm still me.
I'm Tony. I'm the same bloke. But now I can throw on three extra _
generators. Wooshi It's extraordinary. Whenever I want." (Hare 74-75)

Fanafical visionaries of any Ilk, of course. begin to lose credibility
and sympathy with an audience. Before this happens with Tony. though.
Hare brings up some extenuating circumstances that help pardon some
of his behavior. Frances reminds him. "This God of yours...He killed your
parents." (Hare 75) Though Tony finds a way to make his mother and
father's death In a freak automobile accident sound like part of some
divine master plan for his own life. It Is 0 Weak argument that only makes
him more defensive.

Shattering Frances' last Illusion about their former affair. he tells her
she was only temporary solace for his confused mind. "Don't be hurt." he
consoles. "Why be hurt. Frances? It's a fact. Human love passes. God's
love doesn't. Can't you find comfort In that?" Vehemently she replies. "I
find It dlsgusting...We live here. On this earth. That's where we have to
love one another." (Hare 77)

Discounting the loss of his parents as a contributor to his
psychological state. Tony asserts he has found a higher plane through the
process of healing. Hls strict Interpretation of the Bible and the Church's
dogma have brought him face to face with the possibility of the
supernatural on earth. He claims to have found proof of an AIDS patient

who was cured through oils. the laying on of hands. and the power of

177

prayer. His recent "discoveries" have completely usetlied him. "I have to
keep It down. It's hilarious. I tell you. I get on a bus. I'm sitting there. I
think...'A vlrgln gave birth..." 'Then a corpse walked out of a tomb.” (Hare
79) Tony's fanaticism Is too much for Frances. When he tells her the
overriding Importance of these miracles on earth dwarfs the struggles of a
stumbling believer like Uonel, she runs away. leaving him calling behind
her.

While his fervency for his cause ls making Tony less likable. the results
of his good lntenflons are pulling even more strength away from his
argument. In the following scene Stella is alone at the church. Unlike the
other characters with sollloqules In this locafion. the abused woman is not
praying. but mopping the floor. She bemoans her fate and explains the
course that led her to this end. "Lord I dun' know." she says. "Two pounds
fifty an hour? D'un seem to me religious. ‘ It's very unreiiglous..l dun' know
why Tony went to the police. I 'ad to leave the house. "cos I was so
frightened. I "ave a room ten feet by eight. Jus' 'cos Tony din' know
better than to mind 'Is own business. I'm never goin' to testify. Whatever
Tony tells me. Against my own husband. Why should I?"

Touchingly. she recalls. "It was my life. I liked those days In the big
bed when we din" get up. We ate and drank and watched television.
Once three days went by. And "e was kind to me. O Lord Jesus. I miss this
man." (Hare 80)

Tony's evident failings begin to show just In time for the climax of the
play—Uonel's struggle to keep his position—ensuring there Is no neat
ending. no tidy lesson to be teamed from either man's approach. Arriving
at Southwark's cathedral Just before he Is to deliver his sermon. Uonel Is

greeted by Kingston who helps him prepare for his meeflng with the

178

bishop. The flmlng Is poor. Southwark is about to react to the ordination
of a female bishop In America. an act which may cause a deep schism In
the Church of England.

When he arrives Southwark raves. "Christ came as a man. His
chosen disciples were men. The priesthood has been occupied by men
for two thousand years. A woman was given a very different funcflon. A
higher function. even. To be the mother of Christ. Are we saying we now
give in to every fad and fashion? Every passing cultural upheaval? On
the other side of the Afiantlc they have put rochet and chlmere on a
woman's body." (Hare 82)

The Issue the playwright raises Is yet another timely concern for the
Church. but the bishop's reaction to It Is also an Important reflection of his
character. As he stressed to Uonel In the beginning of the play. his
philosophy of church government Is to stay the course. The dictates of
the Church are not merely tradition. but law. Thus. by not changing his
position relative to his parishioners as he was asked to do. Lionel has
broken the Church law In Southwark's eyes.

The two men briefly debate the Issue of Uonel's dismissal until the
bishop loses his patience and rails at Uonel. "You did It. you know...You
bring It on yourselves. All of you. Modemlsts. You make all these
changes. You force all these Issues. The remarrlage of clergy. The
recognition of homosexual love. New Bibles. New services. You alter the
form. You dlsmanfie the beliefs. You endlessly reinterpret and undermine.
You wItter on. tIll you become all things to all men. You drain religion of
religion. And then you're so bound up In your own self-righteousness you
affect astonishment when some of us suddenly say no...You've politicized

everything. Your wretched Synod means exacfly that. Everything turned

179

Into an Issue. Everyone belonging to a facfion. The church has been
turned Into a ghasfiy parody of government." (Hare 86)

Southwark's tirade Is not only an Indictment of Uonel. Speaking
from his alignment with the Anglo-Catholic tradition. he ls lashing out at all
the lJberaIs who. as Hare Indicated In his research. are believed to be the
Imminent lnherltors of Church government control. If Southwark may be
seen as a representative of Conservative thought in general. and Uonel
the bearer of Uberal Ideas. their positions may also reflect Hare's
expectations of state politics In Britain. Tories hold the reigns. but may be
buckling under the weight of grass root dlssaflsfacfion.

Uonel has come to the meefing prepared for such resistance.
however. and turns Southwark's threatsback upon him. He claims he has
a case for the law to decide. since Kingston promised him job security.
and furthermore threatens to Involve a clerical workers' union which has
just started a clergy section. He promises these actions In return for
wrongful dismissal. since Southwark has not given him a reason for firing
him.

Just when It seems that Southwark ls entirely wrong. though. and
about to be overcome by the force of freethlnklng righteousness. he does
provide Uonel with a reason. "In any other job you'd have been fired
years ago." he tells the vicar. "You're a Joke. Uonel. You stand In the
centre of the parish like some great wobbly girl's blouse. Crying for
humanity. And doing absolutely nothing at all...You are the reason the
whole church Is dying. lmmoblle. Wracked. Turned Inward. Caught In a
cycle of decline. Your personal Integrity your only concern; Incapable of
reaching out. A great vaclllaflng pea-green half-set jelly." Pounding the

last nail Southwark finishes. "You parade your so-called humility. until It

180

becomes a disgusting kind of pride. Yes. we can all be right If we never
actually do anything. I want to send a messge to your parish. Because
they are far more Important than we will ever be. It's a message of hope.
It's to tell them the church does listen. Criteria of excellence do apply."
(Hare 88-89)

Apparently Southwark's message reaches the beleagured cleric.
Indeed. his words may be the most powerful voice given to Conservative
thought In any British play in recent years. certainly In any work by a
Labourlte writer like Hare. The last few short scenes of the play serve as a
denoument. wrapping up all the loose ends and primarily showing the
UberaI-mlnded vicars licking their wounds and heading off for other
horizons. .

Visiting Harry's apartment after his meeting with Southwark. Uonel
finds him packing to leave. He explains that his homosexuality has been
revealed In the press and the strain of staying would be too great on his
congregation. He Is moving to Malta where he can perform baptisms.
weddings. and funerals for the expatriate community. "Hatch. match. and
dispatch. as they say." (Hare 92) Uonel urges him to fight. but Harry. In a
final shot at the media. tells him. "For goodness" sake. don't be such an
Idiot. They give knighthoods to people who publish this stuff. It Isn't
coincidence. That's the country we're living In." (Hare 92)

Streaky plans to remain In the parish and continue his work with the
community he has come to love. Uonel. meanwhile. must break his bad
news to his wife. In a sad. awkward exchange. he returns home with a
new gardening book for the woman who has received so little attention
from him over the years. and tells her about their predicament. "I'm afraid

we lose the house." he says. "We'll have to rent a flat. But that's fine. Now

181

the family‘s older. We don't need very much. and we can be together."
Becoming a bit of an eleventh hour Christian himself. Uonel tries to
convince her that "It's what I've wanted. I've neglected you for so long.
It's so long since we were together. I don't know. You're suddenly sixty.
What have I done with my life?"

Hesitafingly he asks her. "Will you...l wonder...will you come to bed
with me?" In words filled with a myriad of meanings she replies. forlornly.
"No. It's too late." Then, returning to the roles they have adopted over
the years. Heather leaves Uonel alone In the study with his thoughts.

The last scene of the play reunites Tony. Uonel. and Frances at the
church. though they deliver Individual monologues played stylistically to
the house and do not react to one another. Tony tries to reassure himself
he Is doing the right thing. "It's numbers. you see. That's what It Is finally."
he says, "You have to get them In."

Uonel. unchanged from the beginning of the play. petitions God
again. In a somewhat existenfial plea he asks. "Do you remember? I
challenged you. Do something. Beside this silence. Begged you. Come
here and help. Do we just suffer? Is that what you want? Fight and suffer
to no purpose? Yes? Is everything loss?"

Frances. for her part. Is putfing It all behind her. "I am going, Lord.
where no one"s ever heard of you." she says. "Another way of putting It.
where you don't exist." As she thinks about the trip she Is going to take to
get away from it all. she says. "I love that bit when the plane begins to
climb. the ground smooths away behind you. the buildings the hills. Then
the white patches. The vision gets bleary. The cloud becomes a hard
shelf. The land is still there. But all you see is white and horizon. And then

you turn and head towards the sun." (Hare 97-98)

182

Two of the most notable things about the publicity generated by
Raajnajzeman In Its original run at the Naflonal Theatre In 1990 were the
sheer volume of It and the variety of backgrounds of the play's critics. It
was reviewed by every publication In Britain with a critic on staff and most
major papers abroad. If not In Its early weeks then after it garnered the
Olivier Award for Best Play (London's version of the Tony). 1

Generally. response was enthusiastic and positive. The most
satisfactory element of the rave reviews was crifics' acknowledgement of
the production"s unity of excellence. Very often the play was acclaimed
all around for Its writing. acting. staging. and design. Matt Wolf In the Wall
Streeuaumaj's European edition wrote. "a major work from a premiere
playwright. "Racing Demon" is that unique play that catches us all where
we live. regardless of what we do or how we pray." He later added.
"Director Richard Eyre makes the characters" silences as resonant as their
speech. and It‘s the highest praise to say that the actors communicate
the Inflmacy of an ensemble that has been together for years (which It
has not)." (Wolf "Man's Inner Demons...")

In Ibefiuarajan Michael Billington agreed with Wolf's assessment of
both the wrlfing and acfing. "Mr. Hare. for the most part. Is extremely
successful in dramafislng his ideas through people." he observed. "You
see. for Instance. the good side of Uonel In his softly-softly approach to a
young black girl terrorlsed by her husband for having an abortion: you
also see the bad side In the sacrifice of his wife to parish preoccupafions."
Complimenfing the players he wrote. "It Is also rare to see English actos
play clerics so unpatronlslngly. Oliver ford Davies Is superb as Uonel: a

shaggy. distracted man with a sad-spaniel countenance but a fierce

183

tenacity when cornered. Michael Bryant as Harry Is all sports-jacketed
problty. David Bamber as Streaky brlms over with pastoral passion and
Richard Pasco as the Bishop exudes the security of power." (Billington

"Faith In Miracles")

Qbseryer crlfic Michael Coveney asserted. "The great mastery of
Racing Demon which Is given a Nafional Theatre production of brisk and
floating sumptuousness by Richard Eyre. In Bob Crowley's perfecfly
welghfless design and Mark Henderson's transflguring lllumlnafions. lies In
Its relafing of Interesting Ideas to a tensile tissue of Interactive plot strands."
(Coveney "Vicarage Glee-Party")

Perhaps the most congratulatory words for the production team
were penned by Peter Hebblethwalte In the Wm
who wrote. "Richard Eyre's production makes such skilful use of the
symbolic possibilities of a cruciform open stage that one wonders why
anyone bothered to Invent the proscenium arch." (Hebblethwalte
"Pastoral Problems" 172)

In a play filled with such rich. controversial Ideas. there is. of course.
room for disagreement. Some of the most seasoned critics did not see
eye to eye on various elements of the play or Its producfion. In his
Guarajan review. which was dominanfly favorable. Michael Billington still
found this to say about Hare's treatment of Tony. the antagonist: "My one
doubt Is this: whereas In The Secret Rapture Mr. Hare entered
Imaginatively Into the spirit of the Tory Marian whose values he despised.
he here never quite gets Inside the combustible curate. Tony. In fact. I
believe he takes Tony's arguments seriously: that you should neither
apologise for nor disguise Chrlsflanlty"s dependence on the miraculous.

But since Tony himslef ls presented as a monomanlac raver and Walworth

184

Road Judas. he forfeits any shred of Intellectual sympathy." (Billington
"Faith In Miracles")

Meanwhile. BIIIIngton"s colleague across the sea. Frank Rich (with
whom Hare quarrelled so publicly about W in New York)
wrote. "As always Mr. Hare balances his dueling partners. For all of Ilonel"s
enlightened humanism. he is often as paralyzed and befuddled by doubt
as his adversaries paint him to be. an Ineffectual liberal of the type who
earned Mr. Hare's disdain In "Plenty" and "Pravda." Tony. In contrast.
delivers his extreme fundamentalist views with a boyish vigor that makes
him the sexiest figure on stage and the one natural leader among the
many clergymen In view." (Rich "British Playwrights Look..." C-13)

Another facet of the criticism surrounding BaalnaQaman was the
playwright's empathy. or lack of It. for the spirit of his subject: the Church.
Benedict Nightingale. writing for The Times. was surprisingly unaccepflng
of the playwright's work In portraying Issues of faith on the stage. He
opined, "Imagine hearing an articulate fiat earther lecture on the
lntricacles of the universe. or a very Intelligent blind man talk about the
inadequacies of a landscape. or an observant fish mouth about the
problems of the ozone layer. The result might be Imaginafive. or
touching. or entertaining: but something central would be missing. So It Is
with David Hare's latest dramatic exploration of what he has called "the
persistence of private goodness in Thatcherite Britain."

Seemingly lnsisfing that playwrights should write only what they
know (a weary adage scorned by nearly all teachers of creaflve ficfion).
Nighfingale continues. "How can he satisfactorily analyze the Church of

England. for all that Institufion"s faults. when he clearly thinks the Idea of

185

Someone Up There Is a delusion and distraction. a folly and snare?"
(Nightingale "An Outsider's Flawed Vision")

Printed alongside Nighfingale's review In the Times was an article
penned by Clifford Longley. the paper's Religious Affairs Editor. Longley
was even less tolerant of the play. "Of the church as an Institution It Is only
a mild caricature." he writes. "but of the Chrisfian faith It Is. It must be
whispered. rather a mockery. The paly falls short of spiritual accuracy
through a failure of empathy and an absence (and Ignorance) of grace.
There are more shadows and lights. more sublety and depth. to spiritual
anguish than one of Hare's Insight can encompass. It would seem." He
ends his article by saying. "Religion ls about soul: and so must plays about
religion be. If they are to resonate with reality. What this play lacks Is
spiritual sincerity." (Longley "Religious Drama Without Soul")

Of course this type of criticism does not react to Hare's ability as a
playwright. but to his perceived lack of religious conviction. a failing
which did not seem to trouble the Church Itself overly much. A week later
the Times ran an article written by Richard Harries. the Bishop of Oxford.
Harries recognized some of the potenfial hazards Involved In writing about
religious Issues. "First." he warns. "the wrlflng or the acting simply might not
match th ehigh theme and the result may be the opposite of what Is
Intended...Secondly. how does one convey that religious dimension
anyway? How can one talk about human things In such a way that they
point beyond themselves to that which transcends the human?"

Harries. though. feels the playwright succeeded overwhelmingly.
Referring to the various plofllnes involving each of the vicars he writes. "All
this Is good dramaflc stuff. and an extremely witty dialogue. superb acfing

and an excellent producfion make It a totally absorbing and highly

186

entertaining evening." He even defends Hare against Longley
accusation that the play has no "soul." He refers to Uonel and Frances"
scene In which they discuss the problems inherent In spreading the gospel
and decide there Is much they cannot know for certain. "If there Is a holy
moment In the play this Is It." writes Harries. "Both characters are In touch
not only with one another. but with a reality they sense cannot easily.
perhaps not at all. be putinto words. In short. this Is a play that hints at
the via negativa. of St. John of the Cross. and of Eliot In The Four
Quartets." (Harries "Finding the Soul...")

Opinions on this aspect of Baalngpeman. however. are likely to be
as varied as the Individual belief systems of the audience members who
see the production. Indeed. one of the points of the play Is that no one.
narrow philosophy prevails. 1

Also. since the production was mounted originally In early 1990.
toured the country. returned to the Natlonal's repertory. closed. then was
revived for the entire trilogy In 1993. many critics had the chance to revisit
It and refine their opinions. Benedict Nighfingale was one such reviewer.
Interviewed shortly before the trilogy"s press day. Nightingale had
favorable comments for Hare. "I like that he's doggedly gone on with a
tradition of dissent In the theatre and that he reaches large numbers of
people." he said. "He's dane It honorably and with tremendous Integrity
and has made some fair and constructive points. and he does It In a way
that people find him enjoyable." About his earlier criticism of Raging
Qaman the New Statesman writer surprisingly admitted. "I. myself. am an
agnostic. but the function of the Church of England seemed something

Hare was not Interested in. He sees their social attitudes but loses the

187

spiritual dimension...Perhaps I'll see It more favorably when I see It again.
It is nice to see a play about the C of E." (Nightingale inLenrjew)

Indeed. In his October review of the entire trilogy performed In a
single day (something the critic referred to as a "Harathon") Nightingale
grudgingly admired the scope and ambition of the project and even said
of the first play. "Racing Demon Is still the better (sic) of the three. The
play may see what Is. after all. a spiritual body too much in social terms:
but it gets a fine performance from Oliver Ford Davies as a fiustered.
woebegone vicar dedicated to good works. and another from Adam
Kotz as a curate aggressively exuding bom-agaln faith. The strength and
commitment of Eyre's company—Michael Bryant. Barbara Leigh-Hunt and
Paul Moriarty. too-are never In quesfion." (Nighfingale "Dogged Hare's

Anatomy of Britain")

NIghflngale's assessment of Ragingjleman as the best of the trilogy
Is a fair one. Though the other two plays are certainly dramatic and
humorous In turn. as Is Hare's wont. and present the theatre-going public.
parficularly native Britons. with the playwright's usual blend of social satire
and criticism. RQQIDMLDQD will undoubtedly fare better over time and
across nafional boundaries.

This Is probably partially due to the spiritual element Nighfingale
complained about. Humanklnd's search for Its place In the universe. Its
origins and Its desflny. has been a themafic mainstay for centuries and. for
all their earthly Importance. transcends issues like jusfice and pollfics. the
subjects of Hare's next plays. Sflll. an Important Idea alone doesn't carry a
work of art. As has already been noted. Ragingjleman succeeds

188

because of the way It relays Hare's observations and Ideas about God.
the Church. and man.

Depth of character. clever and Intriguing dialogue. and a
compelling plot combine with vital social Issues to make Ragingjzecnan
an artistic tour de force. Then. In addition to the philosophical issues the
play raised. It began one of the most important projects In contemporary
British drama. providing a revealing look at how a creafive process .
Involving a playwright. director. and theatre—David Hare. Richard Eyre.
and the Natlonal's Olivier stage-can evolve. The Integration of these

three elements became especially vital for the next two plays. Mmmuring
Judges and W.

189

Murmuring Judges

The second play In the Trilogy, MainluflnaJuagas. was not greeted
as warmly when It first appeared at the Natlonal's Olivier Theatre In

October of 1991. Taking to task English law—the police. the bar and
bench. and the prisons-Hare attempts to prove the futility of a system
that Is commonly known to handle less than two percent of the crimes In
Britain. convicts even fewer criminals. then recycles them in jails that
prove training grounds for further misdeeds. '

The Intertwlnlng plots of Mumfinadudaes reflect the three levels of
the law as Hare perceives them. At the constabulary level are PC Barry
Hopper. a semi-corrupt officer who will stop at nothing to nab his culprits.
Including planting false evidence: and PC Sandra BIngham. his sometime
lover caught In a moral dilemma: reveal the truth about her rising-star.
detective boyfriend or observe esprit de corps and turn the other way.

At the bar and bench are Sir Peter Edgecombe QC. head of a law
firm and prone to taking an attractive female barristers fresh from law
school to handle his criminal cases and act as dinner and opera escorts.
and Justice Cuddeford. a career Judge enamored of the roast venison
and fine wines In the dining halls of the Inns of Court. but averse to actual
contact with the public or the prison system he administers. Confinulng
the trend established In his earliest works. the voice of goodness and
moral Indlgnatlon belongs to a woman. Balancing these unscrupulous
characters ls Irina Platt. Sir Peter's most recent acquisition. A nafive

Antlguan. Irina Is an outsider to her profession In terms of both her sex and

190

origin. facts which do not prevent her from becoming a cunning legal
crusader and ostensibly the play's hero.

Running the gamut through the police. the courts. and Into the
prisons Is Gerard McKinnon. Irish born but raised In England. McKinnon Is a
product of hard times. desperate to support his family and handicapped
child. He agrees to accompany a pair of more seasoned criminals on a
heist and is caught after his first Iarcenous act. He Is given an extremely
harsh sentence (presumably because he ls Irish) and sent to prison where.
because of overcrowding. he Is housed In the wing for serious offenders.
The main dramaflc action of the play Involves lrIna"s attempts to secure a
lighter sentence for McKinnon and the obstacles she faces. put up by an
overburdened. uncaring. somefimes corrupt legal system.

Structurally speaking. WW Is the weakest of the three
plays In the Trilogy. An abundance of research and overzealous lecturing
are hazards Hare encounters In unfolding his storyline. Seemingly. he
found It difficult to balance the Issues of the play with a well-constructed
and compelling plot and believable. empathetic characters. something
Baalngfieman had done so well. Instead of a Shavian weighing of Ideas
against a backdrop of personal turmoil. the play provides Iconographlc
mouthpieces and dialogue that occasionally seems more akin to agit-
prop drama than Hare's usual brand of contemporary realism.

The process of wrifing Mgrmaflngingigas began In much the same
way as Its predecessor. Explaining his amblfion to put on three plays and
searching for his subject for number two. Hare said. "The law seemed the
natural second subject. But when I went to see the lives of lawyers. It was

quickly clear that they were only one small part of a process. And It was

191

the process Itself. the three different parts of It and how they relate—or
rather how they don't relate-which Is what most Interested me."

To combine these potenfially disparate parts. Hare stumbled upon
a structural metaphor. "I wanted to present three different worlds." the
playwright explained. "Prison. the Bar and Bench. and the Police. It was
painfully difficult to find a structure which could accommodate all three.
The whole polont Is that each one is a sort of trade union. and does not
connect to the others. So you can Imagine my pleasure when I found the
operafic metaphor. and In particular when I realised that the triangular
structure of the play was reflected In the triangular structure of The Magic
Flute. Just as The Magic Flute begins with those three famous chords-and
everything follows from them—so the play. whether anyone notices It or
not, Is constructed musically: ensemble. duet. aria, duet. ensemble."
(Hare Discussion)

It Hare's theoretical explanation of the play's structure seems a little
obfuscatory. the practical application of the operatic metaphor In
production proved even more elusive. Though a dramafic score was
assembled for the play by Richard Hartley. and the first act even ends at
a Royal Opera House producflon of The Magic Flute. the connecflon
between the music and the plot of the play Is a tenuous one. As for the
structure of scenes ("ensemble. duet, aria. duet. ensemble"), It Is a pattern
for large cast dramas Hare has followed at least since Pravda. perhaps as
early as Eanshan. and one certainly not unknown to his contemporaries.

All this Is not to say. however. that Murmurinngages Is a bad play.
or that It lacks societal relevance and dramafic Importance. Hare had
provided himself a difficult act to follow by beginning the trilogy with
Baaingfieman. If anything, the topical concerns In the second play

192

might have been even closer to the writer's keen pollfical Interests.

therefore making persuasive argument more of a temptation. In Asking
ALQUDQ. Hare explains:

It was startling to pass from Interviewing priests to
Interviewing policemen and find that both groups were
talking In similar terms.

Although the policemen i met were better pald than
my Inner-city vicars. and of course by Instinct undoubtedly
more conservative. nevertheless their dislllusion with the
Irrelevance or antagonism of the government was
considerably more vocal and certainly more profound.
Nothing had quite prepared me for the overt poliflclzafion of
the police. Of all Thatcher's children. these were the least
grateful. By throwing money at them. she had not bought
their loyalty. On the contrary. She had only made them
more cynical. I already knew form books I had read that
policemen had been deeply marked by their experience of
being asked to help destroy the miner's strike. Many.
especially those from the miners' home towns, were
genuinely shocked to find themselves attracfing the
vociferous hatred of people whom they had known from
childhood to be decent and law-abiding. but I did not know
unfil I went out In the squad cars myself that so many
policemen. patrolling the hopeless housing estates or trying
to keep order on the lawless streets. had developed so clear
on analysis of their own role. In their view. they were being
used. The Conservative administrations of the elghfles had
gone hell for leather for economic policies which were
crudely biased towards the rich. They had then turned to the
police and blamed them for falling to cope with the huge
social problems which government Itself had created. (Hare
6-7)

The problem Hare relates Is well documented. Again and again
Thatcher and her followers relied on the power of the constabulary to
defend them against social. civil, polifical uprisings. One particularly
notorious example occured during the 1984 coal miners" strike. Ian

Glimour. who served In various capacities In Thatcher's Cabinet. reports in

193

W. "The police. one

Inspector later told the Police Federaflon Conference. "were used by the
coal Board to do all their dirty work. Instead of seeking the civil remedies
under the exlsfing civil law. they relied completely on the police to solve
their problems by Implementing the criminal law." The police. he went on.
were being lncessantiy abused and violently assaulted In order to allow
the government "to maintain a low profile for political purposes." (Gilmour
110)

This relaflonship between the government. the police. and the law
becomes an Issue more than once In the play. The reverence they
demand provides the work with Its title. In his preface to the published
version of Wags Hare explains that the meaning of the
phrase Is "from a legal expression. meaning to speak III of the judiciary."
and that "It Is still an offence In Scottish law." (Hare III) This warning
became the production's striking visual opening. Drawn fully around the
six-sided stage In the Olivier Theatre was an enormous red curtain with
these words emblazoned on Its front by hidden projectors.

When the curtain parted and the play began. It was Immediately
obvious MumgringMges differed from Raginngcnan In more ways
than dramaflc structure and dialogue. While the former began
Infimately. with a lone cleric in a chapel praying to God. the newer play
thundered to life with a busfle of scenery and activity. Hare describes the
first scene this way: "An empty stage. Then suddenly from nowhere
they're all there-the judge. the Jury. the battery of lawyers In wigs. the
public, the police. the press. the ushers. the guards. and at the centre of

the forward-facing court. the defendants. The entire company has
appeared In the blinking of an eye." (Hare MgrmurlngJugges 1)

194

Of course. such theatre magic Is facilitated by the Olivier Theatre
Itself. With Its enormous upstage and wing space. and rows of vomltorla
leading through the audience to the stage. such a company can be
assembled in a matter of seconds. While Its forerunner began on a bare.
crucifix-shaped stage In the much smaller Cottesloe Theatre and only
later transferred to the cavernous Olivier. W was written
with the 1.100-seat grand stage In mind.

The new production flair made possible by the change of venue
may have salvaged the trilogy mid-life. Besides the simple fact that.
chronologically. MW Is the center of the work. more
Interestingly. It became a sort of fulcrum for the entire project. balancing
what came before. Ragingjleman. and what was to follow. Wm
aLiiiLar. This Involves both benefits and drawbacks. While the script Itself Is
flawed In many regards compared to Its companions. the production
style. engineered by designer Bob Crowley and Director Richard Eyre.
literally set the stage for the future mounflng of the enfire trilogy.

According to both the playwright and the director. performing In
the Olivier Theatre carries with It a certain weight of responsibility. and
requires parficular qualifies from the play that Is to be performed there.
Firstly. It must have a sense of Importance to the audience. As Hare says.
"The audience know that It would be wrong to have something called
'The National Theatre" and then present new plays only in the smaller
auditorla. It seems to me Important to put big public subjects on this
stage, which reflect the audience's own lives." (Hare Disgussian)

Addlflonally. the space Is not conducive to an Intlmately styled

play. While some smaller cast plays can pull It off (Raginngrnan
contains only eleven speaking parts) larger ones are usually the bill of fare

195

(Murmurinsuudaes has nearly thirty. plus extras. while IheAbsenceanLar

uses a company of at least twenty-six.) "The production has to have a bit
of muscularlty to It." says Richard Eyre, "It‘s got to be robust. It (the Olivier)
can't take fragle writing. You have to make bold statements. They can
be complex but they have to be bold-visually and In their acfing as well.
And. of course. It‘s got to have a public face to It. A theatre where
people are sat In a 130 degree arc—the acting has to turn out. not In.
Plays with direct address work better In there." (Eyre intendew)

A big public subject. robustness. and a strong visual flair. no matter
the flatness of some characters and a few script problems, are certainly
things W has going for it. Almost to a reviewer London
critics responded favorably to Eyre's staging and Crowleys design for the
play. Of course, the production team had to work from the playwright's
model , and In this respect Hare's fifteen years as an occasional film
director and screenwriter profitted him. MgrrngringMges. like many of
his plays. prescribes certain visual elements and production techniques.
There Is a cinematic structure to the play—close-up. crowd sCene.
montage. fade-out—that translates Into a varied and compelling stage
presentation.

Once onstage. the fluidity of the company's movements and the
film-like qualities of the producfion confinue. In the opening scene. a
spofiight separates the defendant. McKinnon. from the courtroom as his
thoughts are presented at the same flme his verdict Is being read. While
the Judge proclaims a five year prison sentence. the young offender
ruminates aloud. "Finally I get It. yes. It is happening. these men. every
one of them silver-haired. judicious. informed. they will go home to their

wives. to wine In fine glasses and the gossip of the Bar. they will walk the

196

streets and laugh and complain about their lives. and I...And l...the stuff of
their profession...l will go to my goal." (Hare 2)

In Raginggeman the method of direct address Hare employed was
prayer. One at a time the characters. even the agnostic Frances. found
themselves In the church talking to God. Pretenses are dropped for the
next two plays. however. and principal characters participate In
unabashed downstage center soliloquizing. Uke the first play. these
monologues are used mainly as expository devices and segues between
scenes. In Mgrmgringaiuggas. though. they tend to carry the added
burden of being the bearer of stafisfics and IncrIminatlng factual
information.

When the court disbands. the setfing ls Immediately replaced by a
new one. "The court at once melds Into the incoming scene." Hare
suggests. "led by the defense counsel who walk from the court towards
us." (Hare 2) The effect Is that of a rapid dissolve. one Image replaced by
another. This technique. which continues throughout the play. was-
assisted In production by a trlptych of enormous screens. onto which were
flashed slide projecfion Images appropriate to each setting. In the
charge room. Images of fingerprint sheets. a giant wall of clipboards. and
mile high piles of file baskets stretched from the stage floor up Into the fly
gallery. Exterior scenes were accompanied by cloudless skies or leafy
trees. while the barristers" offices sat In front of Immense library shelves.
crammed with legal briefs and texts. The trI-screen approach also
allowed the stage to be split Into separate. altemaflng scenes. the live
equivalent of a filmed series of dissolves into different locales. Finally. the

rear wall projections allowed for a relafively uncluttered floor plan.

197

clearing the stage of unnecessary settings and props and focussing
attention on the actors and the text.

McKinnon"s sentencing at the very beginning of the play thrusts the
audience directly Into the thick of the plot with little expository
preparation. Their poslflon becomes like that of a defense attorney or
detecfive with a half-prepared case being rushed through the legal
system.

The scene that follows the sentencing takes place In the hall of the
High Court. Later In the same day. after his session defending McKinnon
and hIs two cohorts. Sir Peter Edgecomb encounters Justice Cuddeford.
When Cuddeford gIbes him about losing his case. Sir Peter's attitude Is
nonchalant. "Good Lord. I'm astonished anyone mentioned It." he says. "It
was a very trivial affair. I only took a criminal case as a favour...l came to
It late." (Hare Murmuringaiirdges Rehearsal Draft 3)

He reveals that he picked up the case at the last minute as a favor
to his partner. whose horse was running In Paris. As If his own flippant
attitude toward his clients' defense and the original lawyer's lack of
Interest weren't enough. It Is later revealed that his partner has a habit of
leaving town when the words "legal old" are mentioned. as they were In
this case.

Both Sir Peter and Cuddeford represent the Old Guard network In
the Courts. Each lndulges heavily In the privileges of his position and
protects some of the Court's most archaic tradlfions. When Sir Peter
introduces Irina Platt to the judge. the two men share an anecdote that
reveals much about their conservative alignment. "Chugger." a famous
old judge Cuddeford relates. "(would) say to a lady barrister. "I'm sorry I

can't hear you." She's start speaking louder. "I still can't hear you.‘ She'd

198

say. "Do you have a problem with my diction. my Lord?‘ 'No. I don't think
so." he'd say. "I just sense I'd hear you more clearly If you attended the
court wearing black.“

Though Cuddeford's story Is meant to be humorous. its moral Is not
taken IIghfly. He adds. "There Is a serious point. I'm afraid. It's the judge's
court. It's his. He runs It as he sees fit. And In English law. It's very
Important he does." (Hare 7) The extent to which the conservafive
members of the Court wIll go to defend their position and privilege Is
further Illustrated In a campaign Sir Peter's office has begun to prevent
legislators from deregulatlng the roles of barrister and solicitor.
Spearheaded by Irina they have collected a million pounds collected so
far and have hired a public relations firm to campaign against the
maneuver. Sir Peter Insists. "If we were to merge the functions of barrister
and solicitor. If any move were made to dismanfle the specialist bar. I
don't think the public begin to appreciate just how disastrous the
consequences would be." (Hare 8)

Though this concern is couched In one of the play's reprehensible
characters, the larger Issue. government Interference In the professional
realm. Is one the playwright discovered Is a major concern among all the
Institutions he examined. "There was a common assumption among
society's sergeant-major's that they had no chance of Influencing policy."
Hare observed. "Nor had they any expectation that policy would be sane
or relevant to their own day-to-day experiences. Their task was to stand
In the firing line. mlfigafing policy's effects. Everywhere I went I
encountered professionals who believed that the government had
ceased to listen to them...lt had become an article of faith among the

Ideologues at Number Ten that professionals were Incapable of

199

representing anything but their own Interests. What was under attack
from above was not just the prosperity of all those whose job It was to
help other people. but the Idea of professionalism Itself." (Hare Asking
ALQUDQ 7)

Of course the Issue of professionals defending their autonomy
becomes somewhat more sympathetic when It Is the constabulary on the
line. What Sir Peter is up In arms about Is the disrupfion of a class system
within the Courts whereby barristers are privileged lawyers. members of
the Bar permitted to argue cases before the High Court. while solicitors
are Journeymen legal assistants. not allowed In the Bar and employed
only In the lower courts until they work their way up.

He even takes a twisted sort of pride In the kind of unscrupulous.
symbiotic relationships that have developed between those in the higher
Court echelons and the politicians who administer them. Warning of
possible consequences should barristers and solicitors be merged. Sir Peter
says. "And when some...shady Tory pollficlan Is accused of consortlng with
some doxy behind Paddlngton Stafion...Then at that polnt...when he
needs us...then he will know the folly of dIIufing our profession. he will feel
it. oh yes. most urgently. As urgently as If there were no electric light."
(Hare 9)

The dubious question "of ethics behind Sir Peter's statements Is made
even more serious by his [partner In the conversation. Justice Cuddeford.
It Is the judge who cuts the banter short when his clerk comes to escort
him to a session In court. After their singularly biased talk. It Is mildly Ironic
when Cuddeford exits saying. "I must go and do some judging." (Hare 10)

The next scene. near the Inns of Court. provides an opportunity to

explain what Irina's position. low solicitor on the totem pole. Is like.

200

Returning to her office. she encounters Woody Pearson. Sir Peter's clerk.
who provides her with her daily briefs. "You're In Kingston In the morning.
Defending an a.b.h.." he tells her. "Then I hope we're going to get you
over to Southwark. It's Just for an adjournment." Ascertalnlng that she has
a fast car. he asks. "Can you squeeze In a quick plea In Brighton? You
can read It while you're driving." (Hare 11)

Besides the difficult logisflcai juggling. the schedule Woody
presents. which Is seemingly meant to be an average daily workload.
provides little to no contact with the actual people Irina is meant to be
representing. Nor does it give her sufficient opportunity to learn about the
cases she Is arguing. the same reason Sir Peter gave for losing McKinnon's
case. .

Her life as newcomer ls complicated further by a personal affront.
Sir Peter Invites her. vla Woody. to accompany him to the Royal Opera for
a producfion of The Magic Flute before working on an Interim Injunction
that evening. "Don't fret." Woody tells her. "It's only for appearances. He
goes to Covent Garden. he needs something nice to hold his right arm.
To be seen to hold his right arm." (Hare 12) Irina Immediately sees the
offer for what It Is. a form of sexual harassment. and declines.

Woody. however. warns her against refusal. He Insists. "The fime Is
going to come when you want to make a stand. About something. I
don't know what. Don't waste It on something which really doesn't
matter. Uke whether you're In the Crush Bar tonight. Why put his back
up? Why start badly? He's Innocent. He's a decent man. He's flash but
he's decent. It's good advice. Fight when It matters. Because. surely to

God. that moment will come." Recognizing the clublshness of the Bar.

201

Woody tells her. "The point Is. It's a team. There's a lot of latitude. But you
play In a team. You want to start inside. not outside." (Hare 13)

For all of Woody's foreshadowing. Irina sfill declines for the time
being. Though she Is willing to parficlpate In other schemes of Sir Peter's.
such as collecfing donations for his advertising campaign. her self-respect

will not allow her to compromise her Integrity.

To balance his treatment of the three components of the law. Hare
alternates scenes in each environment. After beginning with lawyers and
Judges at the court. he follows McKinnon Into the penal system. Arriving
at his prison. the young convict is met by Raymond Beckett. a guard.
Having encountered so many repeat offenders. Beckett assumes
McKinnon has been through the roufine of check-In before and Is
surprised to find he is a first fimer.

Hare uses McKinnon"s Incarceration to Illustrate many of the
problems with the present prison system In Britain. Nothing seems to go

right In the entire process. Beckett asks why McKinnon Is so late In arriving:

GERARD: They took me to Pentonvllle. But then It turned
out there wasn't any room.

BECKETT: There's no room here. But we'll make some. Why
Is It midnight?

GERARD: Then there wasn't a van.
BECKETT: Again?

GERARD: They couldn't find one. (Hare 15)
Beckett Is able to do little to alleviate McKinnon"s problems. He tells

him. "We've put you on D-wIng. We shouldn't really. It's for liters. But It's

202

that or sleeping In the chapel." Then. after taking his possessions and
clothes. he tells him. "You're meant to have a shower. But the water's off.
So you can get dressed.‘ (Hare 15-16) Finally. to visually Illustrate the
prison's neglect. the uniform McKinnon Is given is several sizes too large for
him. and he Is refused a belt on the grounds that he might try to kill himself
with It. _

Though Beckett has to. In Hare's words. mlflgate the effects of
policy. which In this Instance Involve prison overcrowding and
underfunding. and a lack of manpower and organizafion. he ls
sympathetic to McKinnon"s plight. The young man has a wife at home
with two children. one of them struck with Downs Syndrome. and he Is
concerned about their welfare. He advises him. "I think someone better
tell you. Before you get started. You'd better learn. I've seen people go
crazy when it's their first fime. What you have to do Is put the past behind
you. Do you understand? You got done. You did wrong. Society's put
you In jail. OK. now don't brood. Work to the future. Work to the moment
when you get out." (Hare 17)

As Beckett escorts McKinnon to his cell the scene changes to a
London police station charge room. WPC Sandra BIngham begins Hare's
lntroducflon to the Constabulary with a sollloquy about the problems of
policing. Her monologue. densely packed with stafisflcs and sound bytes.
begins:

You see It's all a mess. That's what It Is. mosfly. If you take the
charge room for Instance. there's maybe thirty or forty
people arrested In a day...DIsturblng the peace. Failing to
appear on a summons. Failing to carry out conditions of ball.
Failing to produce a current car licence. Failing to fulfil

203

community service. Getting drunk. Getting drunk and going
for a joyride. Getting drunk and then driving home.
Attacking your wife. Who then won't testify. Trying to cash a
stolen cheque. only being so stupid you don't even try to
make the signatures match.

And the list goes on. lee the vicars In Baalngfiamgn. her
complaint Is that members of her profession are being distracted from
actually doing their jobs. "It's the stuff of policing." she says. "All you have
to do with It Is be a ledger clerk. You fill In bits of paper. Every officer
carries thirty-six bits of paper about their person at any one flme." (Hare
20) Unlike those same clerics. however. Sandra's expression of grievance
Is not direcfly motivated by actions In the play. While the characters'
prayers In Ragingjlernan were a conflnuatlon of the dramatic acflon.
many of the monologues In MurmaringMges seem to be an Interrupfion
of that acfion.

Her list of grievances Is better served by the scene that follows her
Introducflon. which actually portrays some of those problems. Sandra
arrives at the charge room with a culprit In tow. The accused. a noisy
young man named Keith. has been brought In on a roufine charge of
attempting to burgle a car and possible drug possession. He provides a
sampling of the difficulfies the constables face In dealing with criminals.
Voclferously uncooperafive. he refuses to answer quesfions or sit calmly.
and claims drugs were planted on him by Sandra.

While the desk officer. Lester. Is busy filling out forms with the
arresting officer. two more arrests are brought In, a mother and daughter
who were caught trying to pass stolen checks. Both women are near
hysterlcs and need special attenflon from female officers for their

bookings. Sandra moans. "I never understand It. you make an arrest. it

204

takes precisely two minutes. you bring them In and you wait. on average.
on average four hours." (Hare 29) Then, Into the bustle of activity. burst
detectives Barry Hopper and Abdul "Jimmy" Khan.

Obviously a department favorite. Barry reminds them of the solution
to their paperwork problem. a refrain they all share In: "Don't bring
anyone inl" He tells them. "I mean. come on. you boys. just think of It. If
you never made any arrests. you'd all be out there on the streets all the
time. and London would be so much better policed." (Hare 30)

The Involvement of the police In the main plot of the play Is now
revealed: Barry and Jimmy are the heroes of the station because they
managed to apprehend and get the courts to convict a ring of thieves.
one of whom was Gerard McKinnon. Though two of the criminals.
McKinnon's friends who drew him Into the job. were caught red-handed.
Barry Is still surprised at the conviction. "it's a sort of record." he says
proudly. "The Crown Prosecution Service didn't lose the papers. The
witnesses actually turned up. There was no psychiatrist to say their
mothers never gave them the tit. Three men were actually sent down for
a crime they committed. Heavens to Betsy. we got a resultl" (Hare 36)

When they are alone. however. Sandra expresses some reservations
about the convlcfion. Barry admits he knew McKinnon's friends from
previous run-Ins, though not McKinnon himself. Sandra Is puzzled that
. Barry never mentioned this before. She also doubts the younger man's
guilt and wonders why his sentence was so severe for a first offence.
Barry tells her. "He lied. That didn‘t help him. Let's face It. he told a pack
of lies. What's more. he was, sort of. well. whats the word? He was kind

of Irish as well." (Hare 38)

205

Sandra. who Is herself studying to become a detecfive. Is sfill
apparenfly a little naive In the ways of the court. She asks Incredulously If
judges really think that way. Barry replies. "We are talking about a body
of men who sometimes choose to go to work dressed In stockings and
suspenders. I'm buggered If I know how their bloody minds work...Next
fime you're tempted to be serious when you look at a Judge. Under the
robes. Under the language. Under the gravity. Please remember: he
has made a style choice for which any adult male except Danny la Rue
would be Instantly arrested."

Levlty aside. though. Barry suggests. "They don't know they're
prejudiced. That's not how they think of It...l know It. I've seen It so many
fimes. The Judge thought. I'm being nice. I'm being decent. I'm giving him
less than the others. In spite of the fact that he's Irish." (Hare 39)

Their differences In oplnon about McKinnon's case become more
Important when It Is revealed that Sandra and Barry have a relationship
outside the station. She asks him why he Is putting on a front of
heartiessness. pretending he doesn't care about criminals and bragging
to the other officers about his supposed drunken anflcs at a party
celebrating his success. and tells him she knows another side of him when
they are alone together. His answer Is similar to Woody's lecture to trim.
"Well. you have to do all that. don't you? If you're a copper. I mean.
You've got to be a copper. It‘s expected. You have to give it lots of
mouth. Talk about how you go over the side. If you say. oh I just went
home. had a Lucozade and thought about Sandra. you're letting the
boys down. Didn't they tell you? It's a team game." ~(Hare 41)

Apparently the chance for Individuality and autonomous decision

making Is something Hare found endangered by not only..the

206

government. but the professions themselves. Though various forms of
backscratchlng and pollflcklng may not be seen as serious threats
compared to outside forces. they are sfill portrayed as dlsrupfive and
potenflally damaging. at the very least unethical.

Ethics, though. are not the strong point of many of the characters In
W. Returning to her original line of questioning. Sandra
asks Barry If he actually lied when he didn't acknowledge his familiarity
with the two thieves he convicted. Then she raises an even thornler point.
"The problem Is. Barry." she says. "You see what I'm asking...Why did they
pretend not to know you?" (Hare 43) But before he can answer. the
charge room roars to life again with complications concerning the
prisoners. a call about a sudden death. and a complaint about a pub
fight. Sandra accompanies a group of bobbles out the door In full riot
gear. on their way to the brawl. as the scene changes again to the

Interior of McKinnon"s prison.

Beckett leads Irina to a visitor's room In the prison where she has
arranged a conversation with McKinnon concerning his case. Though he
seems to be tumbling rapidly Into despair. Irina buoys his spirits with the
hope of an appeal. "Your sentence was harsh." she tells him. "By any ,
standards. It was ridiculous." (Hare 49) She assures McKinnon that she has
thought a great deal about the miscarriage of justice that landed him In
prison and suggests If she can get the truth of his story she may be able.
with Sir Peter's help. to secure him a lighter sentence.

The line the novice lawyer tosses him Is enough to get McKinnon
talking. As he relates the actual events leading up to his arrest Hare gives

the audience the chance to play detecfive. piecing together bits of his

207

story and Barry's explanation. McKinnon reports that three days after the
heist he still hadn't been paid for his part In It. so he visited his accomplices
to ask for his money. That was when the detectives arrived to search the
flat. He was asked to leave when Barry emerged from a backroom with
a bag of what seemed to be explosives. Unfortunately he saw the
contents of the bag before departing. Though he ls sure the detecfive
planted the IncrIminafing evidence. he tells Irina he has no Idea why this
would be necessary.

In the original script. the published version of W. the
detecfive produced a bag of what may or may not have been cocaine.
A simple ruse, seen countless times on television police shows. planfing
drugs on a suspects person or In his home Is a recognized way of forcing
a confession to some less serious crime or of getting an habitual criminal
locked away for a longer period of fime.’ In the revised script. however.
the issue becomes much more serious because of Its relation to the
English-Irish conflict In Britain.

Though Gerard McKinnon is British. his cohorts in the crime. Travis
and Fielding. are Irish and. as Barry tells Sandra. "He may happen to hail
from the North. But he did stand with a load of Micks outside the Irish pub
on Clapham Common every evening. I think we can guess his primary
allegiance." (Hare 38) Found in the dwelling of an Englishman. the
dynamite Barry "discovered" may have been a curiosity and cause for
Invesfigatlon. but unearthed In the flat of a pair of criminal Irishmen. It Is
cause for Immediate alarm. Travis and Fielding knew. because of the
acflvltles of the Irish Republican Army on the mainland. that any English
judge and jury would be very hard on them If that evidence were

brought to court.

208

As he nears the end of his story. a bell rings In the prison
announcing tea and recreafion time. Before leaving Irina comforts him. "i
shouldn't say this. It's Irresponsible. They teach you at college you must
never do this. But you do have a friend now. I promise you." (Hare 57)

All the pieces are nearly In place to fie the three elements of the
Law together In a single plofline. The final scene of the first act completes
the structural setup. As Irina leaves Gerard In the prison. a lighting
change Isolates him on one side of the stage while Barry and Jimmy
appear on the opposite side at the police station. In a brief exchange It Is
revealed that. as a result of his brilliant detective work. Barry has been
promoted to the "Flying Squad." a special operations branch within the
constabulary. He and Jimmy are on their way out to celebrate.

Simultaneously the scene continues In the prison. Beckett enters to
escort McKinnon back to his cell and. casting some doubt on what has
just transpired between he and Irina. says. "Did someone say something
about an appeal? Look. did that lawyer tell you It was terrible? Did she
say a terrible Injustice had been done? And how awful this prison Is?

Then what did she do? I'll tell you. She walked away. Walk In. Upset
them. Leave them. That's lawyers." (Hare 59-60)

Then. picking up the Mozart mofif Hare supposedly used to organize
his plot. the overture of The Magic Flute. which has been playing softly
under these scenes. roars to life and the center of the stage becomes the
Royal Opera House where Sir Peter and Irina have just arrived. arm In arm.
to see the show. It seems Ifina. having stumbled upon the cause Woody
told her she would find to fight for. can play at Slr Peter's game. Allowing

herself to be shown around and Introduced to various dignitaries In the

209

audience. Irina eventually brings up the subject of McKinnon and
convinces the elder barrister to accept his appeal case.

Though the significance of The Magic Flute. Its melody and
structure. may not be Immediately apparent. the construction and
staging of this scene are far more appealing than many of Its pedestrian
predecessors. The juxtaposition of images and characters—the policemen
leaving for a drink at the end of a long day. the criminal stewing In his
cold steel cell. and the upper crust lawyers out on the town-speaks
volumes more than some of the play's unceasing statistics. As the Mozart
crashes to life and the prison warders warn "Lights outl" the play becomes

truly thought-provoking and meaningful.

Perhaps one of the reasons the David Hare Trilogy as a whole was
such a success with Its London audiences Is that It somefimes appeals to
the same curiosity that makes the Royal family such an obsession. It
provides a stolen look at hidden. private. privileged lives that most theatre
patrons—even the wealthier ones-will likely never see.

The opening of the second act Is one such instance. Hare's
directions read. "As the audience return. we find that guests are gathering
In a pannelled ante-room in Uncolns Inn. They are all dressed in white fie
and tails. for a formal dinner In the Hall. The High Table Is visible beyond.
In the Hall Itself. laid out magnificentty. with each place marked by four
different wine glasses. The Inn's best sliver Is on display." (Hare 64) It Is an
occasion attended by only the upper crust of Brlfish elite. The Home
Secretary. Charles Kendrick. remarks to Justice Cuddeford. "What do I

see? An ex-Prlme Minister. on earl and a High Commissioner...The

210

Governor of the Bank of England." Cuddeford. used to the company at
the Inns. replies, "Yes. We've been trawling." (Hare 65)

As Cuddeford strikes up conversaflon with the Home Secretary his
motives. and Indeed the raison d'étre for the entire dinner. become
Immediately obvious. It is a time honored way for various Inter-related
professions. especially pollficlans. lawyers. and judges. to meet and find
ways to help one another. As Cuddeford explains. "The law Is a college.
We meet. We talk. A judge perhaps has a word with a barrister. He says
nothing overt. Nothing crlfical. Maybe only a look. a chance remark.
And yet all the flme...there are hints. Thanks to these a barrister Is
learning. The social is the professional." (Hare 68)

The Judge's Interest tonight, and Sir Peter‘s as well when he Joins the
two men. Is In the quesfion of merging barristers and solicitors. Cuddeford
points out to Kendrick. who assumedly would have a faIr amount of sway
In the vote. that the Law as an Insfitufion Is like a great. solid rock that has
been built on over the centuries and must not be troubled by fad or
fancy-an argument similar to the Bishop of Southwark's concerning the
state of the Church In Ragingflernan.

Kendrick. though at first seemingly unprepared to defend himself
against such lobbying. proves a match for the judge. He grants
Cuddeford acknowledgement of the long tradlflon of the Inns of Court.
but suggests that Is no reason for the legal profession to become staid.
The men debate the problems with each other's poslflons, thereby
arguing some of the themes the playwright feels are relevant to their end
of the profession.

In Germany. Kendrick poses. "they've reduced all prison sentences

radically. by up to one quarter. even one third. without any effect on the

211

criminal statistics." Becoming angered that neither Cuddeford nor Sir
Peter are aware of this revelatory lnformafion. the Home Secretary adds.
"To be frank we're reaching a point where we'll just run out of ways of
requesting the judiciary to be less trigger-happy." suggesting that
sentencing pracflces In Britain are what Is overpopulafing the prisons and
burdenlng taxpayers. (Hare 71)

in a chilling response. Cuddeford tells him. "Truly it Is your problem.
not ours. You see. Just think. If for one single moment. when I'm at work In
my court. If I begin to consider...lf I ever consider what prison is now
llke...then I cannot fairly administer justice. Because my head ls full of
what we may call failings of society...WhIch are truly not my concern."
(Hare 72) .

After Cuddeford and Kendrick are separated In the dinner
procession Sir Peter adds to the dilemma. suggesting the one thing they
should all be grateful for Is the British police. "It Is one of the great mercies
of your situation that only three per cent of all crimes reach the courts." he
says. "Just Imagine the scale of your problems If the police began to have
some significant success...The system Is already strained to breaking point
by a force which Is catching scarcely anyone at all." (Hare 74)

The scene ends with an Ironic grace Intoned by Justice Cuddeford
In which he asks that "God save Thy Church. the Queen. the Royal Family
and this Realm: God Send us Peace and Truth In Christ our Lord." (Hare
75) With the apparent dearth of peace and especially truth In their field.
Hare suggests divine Intervention may be the Law's only hope.

Shifting the focus back to the police, the next scene begins with a
sollloquy delivered by Jimmy In which he reiterates some of the difficulties

Involved In his day-to-day work. While Hare's research Into this area of

212

policing and jaIIIng should be appreciated. he has found better. less
pedantic ways of using the Informafion In me post. Jimmys monologue
covers a more complex scene change than usually occurs In Hare's plays-
-the set transforms from the Inns of Court dining hall to the Interior of the
police station complete with slide projections. howling sirens and flashing
lights. However. the long list of facts he hurls directly at the audience
creates an Impression of preachiness that at times In Murmuringriuages Is
a handicap to the plot.

Jimmy's speech leads Into a nighttime scene In the charge room.
Two more examples of cases the constables routinely deal with are
presented—a non-English speaking couple who have to be held for
Immigration officials. and a man pulled in for drunken driving who literally
grovels on his knees for the charges to be dismissed so he will not lose his
license and his ability to work. While these minor crises flow fairly quickly
and are at once dramatically lnteresflng and Inforrnafive. It Is not long
before Hare's coppers fall Into a by now familiar pitfall: becoming
uniformed stafisficlans.

Barry bursts Into the station complaining, "Abstracting electricityl Is
that the most boring crime of all flme?" As he relates the mundane details
of his case to his rapt colleagues. he adds. "I read this staflsfic. If you take
all the crime. all of It. every single bit. In money it doesn't add up to what's
lost every year In tax evasion. And yet look at usl Here we all are...One
hundred and thirty thousand policemen. Twenty-eight thousand In
London alone...To collect a sum of money—at Incredible expense-which
Is actually less than the government happily lets rich bastards get up and

walk away with every year." (Hare 84-85)

213

When the shop talk subsides and various characters return to their
duties. Hare returns to the plot essentials with a conversaflon between
Barry and Sandra about their jobs and. more particularly. about the
McKinnon case. Pressed to the wall by Sandra's probing. Barry admits, "To
be honest. he shouldn't be In prison. But then none of them should.
Because It Isn't a deterrent. He shouldn't be In prison becasue prison
doesn't work. I'd dye them...The colour according to what they're found
to have done. Give them red hands fora burglary. If It's a sex offence.
paint their heads green. There should be a code. so we all know. So we
can all laugh at them when they walk down the street." (Hare 90)

While Sandra Is Initially sympathefic to Barry's views. the part of her
that Is urging heron to test for officerstatus. to rise In the ranks and
Improve the system. forces her to scrufinize his actions further. She tells
him point blank. "I took out the file on the Fielding case. Something
bothered me. You sent the boy out...But you lied about that at the tfial.
And then you talked alone with the two who already knew you. Why?
Why did you do that?" (Hare 92)

Barry's defense Is that "a copper ls allowed something. It's all he's
got. You're allowed a few private moments with criminals. You're
allowed a way of doing things which Is actually your own." And. he
admits to Sandra. his way of doing things Is to carry along fake dynamite
to make the suspects think they might be in for more trouble If they don't
cooperate.

The Issue Hare raises with Barrys vIgllantlsm Is Indeed a difficult one
to resolve. Certainly everyone Is Interested In justice. but at what cost?
The quesfion becomes evern thornler when he tells Sandra the net result

of the Information he bullied out of McKinnon"s cohorts. He points out.

214

"Three weeks later In the City of London when some Mick bullion robbers-
Kllmartin? Remember? Yes. you read about It—on the front page—when
Kllmartin and his gang turned up at the bank. thanks to that little
package I showed Travis and Fielding. the Flying Squad was waiting!"
And. he adds. the second gang showed up with shotguns they were
ready to use. He Implores her. "Sandra these people are scum...And
we're not being given the power we need to deal with them. A
policeman without power. that's a contradiction. They're sending us out
with nothing these days. So we each have to make It. You make your
own stick of dynamite. And then you use It." (Hare 97)

One of Hare's Interviewees, the real life Ron Walker. agrees in
theory with Barry. Walker eventually lost his job by going public with an
accusation of high level tampering with crime stafisfics In the police.
Before the scandal that shook the constabulary. though. he was a beat
cop just like Barry. "Look. you have to start from the position that the
police are very aware of dishonesty and Its uses." he told Hare. "A good
policeman uses a degree of dishonesty but he knows how to control It.
You have to police yourself. Once you yield to temptation. there's a
tendency for It to grow. If you steal a pound. you might as well steal a
million. It's every day. the temptation. You have to be Jekyll and Hyde."
(Hare AskingAragng I 1 i)

The dilemma horns Sandra Is caught on may be the closest Hare
gets In Mgrmgringiuages to a careful. fair weighing of both sides of an
Issue. The daughter and granddaughter of policemen. and now an
officer candidate herself. Sandra Is entirely too familiar with the problems
Barry poses. Sfill. the Idealist In her. and perhaps in Hare. struggles for

purity of the law's Interpretation and enforcement. "It Isn't right. Barry." she

215

finally scolds him. "It's just stupid. It's bloody stupid. That's the thing about
you, Barry, you used to be smart. You were really smart. Unfit your main
Interest got to be In beafing the system. Working out your grievance.
And that's when you began to get really dumb. (Hare 98)

Their Infimate discussion ls Interrupted by another officer crashing
through the front door, flghfing with a ball Jumper he has just
apprehended. By the flme order Is restored Barry Is on his way out the
door. sarcastlcally telling the desk sergeant he should enlist Sandra's help
because "she's a hands-on police officer. She'll always pitch In. She's
always there for you...You can trust Sandra." His chasflslng seems to
temporarily work. When Lester asks If she Is all right. Sandra ends the
scene by telling him. "No problem. I'm one of the boys." (Hare 101-102)

Between Barry and Sandra's conflagrafion In the charge room and
a return to Irina and the courts. Hare prondes another glimpse of life In
prison for McKinnon. In a brief encounter with a group of fellow Inmates
In the showers. McKinnon Is threatened because of his conversations with
his lawyer. then stripped. hauled offstage. and presumably raped. The
scene ends with one of the Inmates telling his accomplices. "Take him to
the showers. and let's get to work." after which the playwright's stage
dlrecflons read. "As GERARD ls seized by the SECOND PRISONER and
pulled backwards towards the opening. the sound of the showers drowns
out his screaming. and the lights lose them as they go.)" (Hare 105)

In performance McKinnon's predicament ls obvious and the scene
Is frightening. even though. with the exception of his brief nudity. nothing
potentially objecfionable happens on the stage. Whether It Is a sign of

refinement and maturaflon or compromising for a larger. subsidized

216

audience. Hare's technique In presenfing the Incident Is undoubtedly
different from the Fringe Theatre tradition he hails from.

As early as 1965 Fringe Theatre dramatist Edward Bond earned the
movement recognlfion as an often viscerally mofivated group of writers
and performers who used shocking sexual and violent Images In their
plays. In Saved. Bond depicts the torture and murder of a baby In a
carriage by a group of street ruffians as a parable of escalating city
violence. Other Bond plays. notably his 1970 reworking of Shakespeare's
tragedy. Lear. contain extreme acts of violence, rape and torture that
many called gratuitous and others found relevant as art.

Two Hare contemporaries. Howard Barker and Howard Brenton.
never stopped wrlfing In this vein. In 1980 the Naflonal Theatre staged
Brenton's Ingjzarnansinfiriiain. In which a young boy Is raped by Roman
soldiers In front of the audience. Viewers responded with a flurry of letters
to the theatre and London papers. and criflcs generally dismissed the
work. One wrote. "Homosexual rape. bloody violence. frequent obscenity
and poliflcal signifying do not necessarily make fora mature play and so
many of his parallels are driven home with a bludgeon that his regard for
an adult audience must be questioned." (Chaillet)

Barker. who early on showed literary promise equal to Hare.
Griffiths. Pollakoff, and other Fringe writers he worked with. Is sfill relegated
to outlying theatres. Unique productions like his 1992 IerribleMauIn. a
short opera about the disturbed painter Goya, In which all the characters
trudged around a warped stage gurgling hideously. bleeding profusely.
and enacting scenes from the arflst's macabre work. somefimes attract
devoted followers. but are. of course, never destined for West End

venues.

217

In comparison. Hare's treatment of violent prison life Is suggesfive
and believable. while restrained within the parameters of acceptable
taste for his audiences at the Naflonal. Nightingale Is critical of Hare's
temperance. "He's become more consciously the critic of England from a
very moderately liberal stance." the critic complains. "Has he got more
respectable In a way? it's as If he. himself. has become part of the
establishment. There was a fime. parflcularly around Ieetnflifimiles.
when he could have gone down a different path." But. the crlfic
observes. "He's still fulfilling a useful funcfion. He's reaching large numbers
of people when there's very little crlfical writing In Britain. He puts over
fairly crifical views to a largely mainstream audience by remaining fairly
well ensconced In a naturallsfic tradition." (Nighfingale inienriaw)

Following the brief scene In the priSon shower. the action returns to
Irina and Sir Peter In their offices. The elder barrister. who has Just returned
from court. grumbles. "You know what‘s so boring about criminal Law?"
Irina sarcasttcally guesses that It Involves real human beings. to which Sir
Peter replies. "That‘s one disadvantage. But also you have to establish the
facts. That's why I also like libel cases. Becasue so often they're a matter
of opinion. You're arguing about things which no-one can prove. You're
Juggling with air. pure and simple." (Hare 109)

Detestable as his attitude might be. Sir Peter's disdain of criminal
cases Is something Hare's research found fairly common among older
barristers. One Interviewee. whom the playwright dubbed "Raymond."
was a clrculteer who played dual roles in the legal system. He was
alternately an advocate and a judge. Raymond told Hare. "Criminal work

Is muck. though of course criminal lawyers go hairless If you say as much.

218

Not only Is there more money In civil cases. but also you're putting your
case to a judge. Persuading a jury Is a very different proposition. 1 don't
regard It as a great Intellectual challenge. frankly." (Hare AskingAraana
126)

Sir Peter's mood Is not conducive to what Irina has to say. After
finding out about the attack on McKinnon and the condifions he Is living
In. she demands that they find a way to have his sentence severely
reduced or even repeated. The jaded Sir Peter. however. points out that
they have hardly a leg to stand on and their best bet would be an
emotional appeal. calling on the boy's harsh family situation. his youth.
and Inexperlence with crime.

"I don't want to do It because It Isn't right." Irina tells her mentor. "The
police were on the fiddlel" (Hare I 12) She suggests accosting one of the
officers. perhaps Sandra. for Inside Information about how the conviction
may have been fixed. to which Sir Peter replies. "It's called a force. Police
force. that's the name for It. Everyone knows. It's the wrong word. If I
could pass an Act of Parliament. I'd call It what It actually Is. 'Club.‘ Police
club. And unless you find someone who's Interested in Jacking In their
membership. you haven't got a cat's chance In hell." (Hare 113)

As their argument escalates. age and experience versus youthful
nalveté and energy. Sir Peter defends his assessment of both their client
and the situation with the police by calling upon his familiarity with the
roufine. "After a while you develop an lnsfinct." he tells Irina. "That's one of
the things a first-rate advocate has. Your profession. after all. Is the
judgement of people. It‘s not even conscious. It becomes animal. It's a

gut Instinct." (Hare I 16)

219

Finally. risking both her clients case and her own postfion. Irina
angrily accuses Sir Peter. "All this behaviour. the honours. the huge sums of
money. the buildings. the absurd dressing-up. They do have a purpose.
It's anaesthetic. It's to render you Incapable of Imagining life the other
way round...What about the whole joke of you. who claim this InfaIlIble
Instinct for deception. this forensic gift for detecting the truth? You sit
there—what? A Knight Commander of the British Empire. You're
conspiring In a lie. It's a lie. What Brlflsh Empire? Hasn't word reached
you? It no longer exists." (Hare 117-1 18)

They end the scene on a harsh note. leaving the audience
wondering If Irina has just quit her post or been fired. "I am conscious...lt's
In your power to be kind." she Icily tells Sir Peter. "At every meal.
Throughout every opera. In the morning when I come In. At your wish.

By your permission. It's hard to say thank you ten fimes a day. Because
the effort Is finally demeaning. I hardly remember. but I was five when my
father died. So I've got on without one. I don't need another. Not now.
No. thank you." (Hare 122)

The scene dissolves to a hilltop In a well known suburb of London.
Crystal Palace. It is the namesake of a monument familiar to most Britons:
the Crystal Palace built by Sir Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhtblfion In
1851. Irina has chosen this locaflon to surprise and accost Sandra about
possible police mishandling of McKinnon"s case. The setting Is subfly
symbolic. Simply alluding to the famous structure conjures Images for
those aware of Its Importance In British history. The mid-Victorian era was
a fime of Industrial. agricultural. and foreign trade growth. as well as
colonial expansion. The British Empire was sfill on an upward path towards

Its zenith. The Crystal Palace represents fortitude. Ingenuity. and nobility.

220

When Queen Victoria opened the structure on May 1. 1851 . Britons
viewed the achievement as a worldwide coup desfined to expand their
glory. In Englanajnlnaniineieeningeniunr. David Thomson reports that
the Edinburgh Reivew. "reviewing the Official Catalogue of the Exhibition.
described Its aim as being 'to seize the living scroll of human progress.
Inscribed with every successive conquest of man's Intellect." The morning
of its opening was described by The Times as 'the first morning since the
creation of the world that all peoples have assembled from all parts of
the world and done a common act.“ (Thomson 103)

Unfortunately. while the name Is well known. some of the finer
points of its history are undoubtedly fading as generafions pass. The
actual Palace was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham shortly after the
Exhibition and eventually burned to the gorund In 1936. So. though Hare
Intended it as a comment on the scene that plays In the foreground. its
Ironic significance may be lost. When Sandra recognizes Irina as a
solicitor In Sir Peter's employ her first reaction Is an official knee-jerk. "I
don't have to talk to you." she tells the lawyer. "It's against the rules." (Hare
123)

They do converse. however. and not Just about the case. The idea
of the Hare heroine ls dually manifest In Mgrmgrinngages. Irina Platt and
Sandra BIngham each represent what Is just and virtuous about their
respecfive professions. and together they briefly offer one of the few
glimpses of hope In a play filled with Institufional corruption and malice.
After hearing some remarks from Sandra about her childhood and how
she joined the police. Irina probes her about McKinnon. She tries a

rational approach. appealing for Justice for the boy: and she attempts on

221

emotional appeal. clfing his hardships and her own. pitted against a
profession that no longer values human worth.

They find they have much in common. Both are Idealists In brutally
reallsflc worlds. yet each longs to change what Is wrong before giving up.
lrlna admits. "I was thinking I should move to radical chambers. There's
something they call the altemafive bar. Perhaps It would suit me better."
Sandra moumfully responds. "There's nothing called the altemaflve
pollce...There Isn't a kind of nice lot who all read the Guardian and eat
salad for lunch. You can't join another lot. Not In my projesston. You see.
In my line of work there's only one crowd." (Hare 127-28) For all their
bonhomle. however. Sandra departs leaving lrlna with no clear Idea
whether she has found a useful ally. The constable has not agreed to
help her In any pracfical way. though fiwe seed has been planted.

It seems for the fime being. her efforts have been for naught. The
hillside scene dissolves Into the High Court room where Cuddeford Is
arguing his appeal for McKinnon. In another Ironic twist of fate. the fund
Irina was helping Sir Peter collect earlier in the play was used to campaign
against the very legislation that might have allowed her to argue her
client's case before the court herself. Since the line between barristers
and solicitors Is still drawn. however. she must rely on her senior advisor.

Slr Peter's plea Is predictably brief and unconfrontaflonal. "We are
not here today to appeal against the verdict." he tells the court. "The case
was conducted with Impeccable falmess by the original trial judge. We
have no complaints. Furthermore we have no reason to fault or question
In any way the behaviour of the police. The plea we are making Is purely
and simply a plea for clemency. We are putting ourselves at the courts

mercy. asking you to consider the excepfional pressures of circumstance

222

which caused my client to embark on what I can assure you now will be a
short-lived career In cfime." (Hare 130)

Interesfingly. while Sir Peter's case ls being heard Irina encounters
Barry for the first fime In a simultaneous scene outside the court. She
confronts him with his acflons. though she knows It Is useless by now. Their
exchange makes It Impossible to tell If Hare's sympathies lIe with one or
another law-related profession—each Is attacked with equal vigor.

Barry demands of Irina. "What do you people want? Except to tell
other people how to do their jobs? Usten. why don't you go and sit on a
committee? Yeah. Isn't that the English way? A lot of middle-class
people sit on a committee and then tell the yobs what we're all doing
wrong?..l think It's the one thing the police really need. More
advIce...Especlally from people who" don't do the job."

Irlna. though, is not fazed. She counters. "You don't bullshit me. I
see right through lt...You broke the rules...The police have got to do better
than that." Then. just as Woody arrives to pull her Into the court for the
verdict, Barry gets the last word. "You may be right." he tells her. "Its not
Important. Call me stubborn. or what. But I tell you what. I tell you. I don't
take lectures on ethics from lawyers." (Hare 132)

By this point there Is little suspense as to what the decision of the
court will be regarding McKinnon. Fittingly. Jusfice Cuddeford himself
delivers the verdict. "We are safisfied the prisoner's inexperience. his
youth. his gulliblllty. the tragic circumstances of his young family. all these
should weigh heavily. and were not. In our opinion. taken sufficienfiy into
account." the judge magnimously begins. "For these reasons. we are
pleased to say. we have no hesitafion in reducing the prisoner's sentence

from five years to four and a half." (Hare 133)

223

Cuddeford's condescending decision validates nearly all the
cynical opinions of the judiciary expressed In the play. He proves that.
contrary to the Home Secretary's request. judges are not Interested In
relieving prison overcrowding or In penal reform. He also opens himself
up to accusations of prejudice because of McKinnon's questionable Irish
background and cronyism because of his close relationship with Sir Peter.
the barrister In the case.

At this point In the play no one Is the winner. No single branch of
the legal system has proved itself the best or worst of what It does and no
hero has saved the day. The police and Judiciary have merely proved
themselves corrupt and lnnefficlent. and the prison system Is obviously
capIng as best as It can. and falling. with the criminals they are sent.

Uke 12991012311190. MULIDULIDQJIJQQES Includes an epilogue that
catches each of the principle characters In an Important final moment.
The last scene begins with short exchanges between groups of characters
and moves toward simultaneous monologues. with each speaker
separated In areas on the stage.

IrIna visits McKinnon in jail with the news of his appeal. He accepts
the token graciousness of the court resignedly and tells her his wife has
returned to Belfast with his children. When she offers assistance. such as
bringing him some books to read. McKinnon tells her. "I've got books. It's a
book on Irish history. I've never been Interested. But I'm sort of Interested
now. When I was brought up. It was always a background. But I laughed
it off. It's funny. I wonder why I did that. What I'm saying Is...l"m not
laughing now." (Hare 136) McKinnon's sudden Interest In his heritage.
and all the potenfial mayhem It Implies In British society. Is meant to be

Indicative of what the supposed "rehabllItIon" system actually does for

224

criminals. Instead of setting them down a new path. Hare suggests. It
hardens them and turns them toward worse acts of destruction.

Back at the station house the constables are all having a laugh at a
newspaper article about underwater policemen who caught a man
having sex with penned dolphins. while Sir Peter In his office brags to
Woody about defeating a rival In a court case. Barry talks to a
committee about expenses for detecflve work and Irlna addresses the
John Wilkes Society. a group she has formed comprised of lawyers
concerned about the state of Britain's penal system.

One at a time they conclude their monologues then. as the stage
begins to grow dark and the music crescendos. suddenly all the noise
halts and a single spotlight picks out Sandra center stage. Hare's
dlrecfions read. "She straightens her uniform, turns and takes a few paces
to the centre of the stage. She stands aIOne." Then she says. "I want the
Chief Superlntendant...l wonder. Could I have a word?" (Hare 141)

In a play so confusingly filled with dire crises and complex
ambivalence. It Is doubtful Hare meant for Sandra's appearance to be
taken as a fldy ending. He has clearly shown that anything one person
might say or do Is not likely to affect the system as a whole. This does not
preclude, however. Sandra's gesture as an offering of hope. Uke other

Here plays. notably W and Bgdnaflemgn. hope is found

In unexpected places and Interpreted differently by each viewer.

Predictably. In light of the various wrlfing deficiencies menfloned.
critics were very hard on the script of mm In Its premiere

run. though they were often quite complimentary of other aspects of the

production. Even usual Hare supporters found themselves disappointed In

225

this showing. In Amariaanlnaatre magazine. Matt Wolf wrote. "Billed as a
work about he clergy. Racing Demon was much more than that:
Murmuring Judges. though. really is just what the blurb on It says: a play
about the law. no more. no less. Hare has certainly done his homework.
and the work of his researchers (two receive credit In the program) Is
amply evident. Characters are forever spouting stafisfics they'd be
unlikely to possess In real life. and declaimlng position papers rather than
holding conversations. By the end. one wonders whether the Nafional
bookstore should bother to stock the text or. Instead. opt for a point-by-
point agenda entitled Murmuring Judges: The Pamphlet. American
theatregoers weary of the absence of politics In homegrown plays will
have a field day here. In Hare's legal world. all anyone does is optne;
gone are the private lives that gave Racing Demon Its troubling and
heartbreaking pulse." (Wolf "Miller and Hare In Less than Top Form" 52-53)
The Independents critic. Paul Taylor. agreed with the comparison
to the trilogy"s opening play. He begins his review, "The most striking thing.
alas. about Murmuring Judges—David Hare's play about the legal system
and the second in an Intended trilogy about Brlfish Institutions—Is Its
marked Inferiorlty to Racing Demon. his wonderfully evenhanded
exploraflon of the Church of England." Taylor points out character and
structural flaws and raps up his comments by suggesting. "The play has a
faIr share of good jokes that point up the Ironies In our criminal justice
system and Its deplcflon of the legal profession ls often enjoyable. But a
great deal of It Is too pat and It never deepens your thinking by
disconcerting your emotions like Racing Demon." (Taylor "Verdict In the

Balance")

226

Benedict Nighflngale. wrlfing for the Times. found grudglng
admiration for Hare's project. though his compliments were laced with
complaints. He comically opined. "At a time when the mental horizons of
most dramafists seem to be shrinking. give David Hare credit for thinking
big and broad. He has appointed himself the all-purpose ombudsman of
hte Brlfish theatre. already. he has delivered ex cathedra judgments on
the press and the church in Pravda and Racing Demon: and soon he will
switch his attention to parliament. After that. who knows? It may be the
turn of agriculture. the military. dons. dentists. undertakers. or the
Astronomer Royal. No part of our slippery establishment can expect to
elude the Hare brain."

His verdict on W. though. Is that It Is "A story that lets
his characters Introduce disturbing facts. make critical comments and
embody his own likes and dislikes: yet one that remains oddly
unsatisfactory In Itself." Sfill. nghflngale relents somewhat when he
concludes his review by saying. "Hare can be awkward and unsubfle
when he argues his thesis: that. starting at the top. British justice Is a cruel.
foolish, destructive mess. But against that must be counted his energy. his
passion. and the quesflons he Intrudes. If the police were more efficient.
and more than 2 per cent of crimes ended In convictions. what would our
prisons be like? Now there Is a paradox worth pondering." (Nightingale
"Hare Bralned Confusion")

Other theatre journalists who agreed with Nightingale on Issues of
Hare's plot chose to cite specific grievances. In the Times Uterary
Supplement. David Paplneau complained. "We are clearly supposed to
view Barry's sharp pracfice as the work of a rotten apple. But Barry

doesn't actually frame Gerard"s accomplices. he only says he will. and

227

thereby prevents an armed robbery. This seems to me a clever piece of
police work. Moreover. the noflon, Integral to Hare's plot. that Barry's
career will be ruined If the girlfriend tells the Detective Superintendent
about his trickery. Is rislble. Equally Implauslble Is the Idea. also Integral to
the plot. that Gerard would succeed In an appeal If only the drugs story
could be proved. Exactly why the appeal court should be Interested Is
unexplained. as Indeed are a number of other details of the plot."

Still. PapIneau was one of the critics who also found laudable
elements In the production. He concludes, "Thels warming tale may well
prove popular with Nafional Theatre audiences. There are plenty of jokes.
the acfing Is of a high standard. the staging Is Imaginative. and there Is a
real text In the opera scene. But It Is disturbing to see all these resources
devoted to an easy entertainment about a subject that cries out for
something more." (Paplneau "Turning to Crime")

Richard Chrlsfiansen. penning an article for the Chicago Tribune.
found even more to appreciate. He wrote. "The National. drawing from a
company of about 120 actors, has empeccably cast the production"s 25
roles. from the relative newcomer Alphonsia Emmanuel as the
determined attorney to the wily veteran Michael Bryant as a sleek.
cynical judge. All of them forcefully press Hare's arguments with
extraordinary passion and. at fimes. wicked humor. What's more. Richard
Eyre. the Natlonal's artlsfic director. has lnvIgorated the drama with
virtuoso theatrical design on the Olivier's large thrust stage. projecting
huge slides to clnematlcally shift the many scenes and summoning up
everything from a steamy prison shower room to a producfion of "The

Magic Flute" at the Royal Opera House. The Nafional. a mighty engine of

228

theatrical production. Is roaring along confidently with this bravura display

of "Murmuring Judges."

Uke Ragingjleman before It. Mgrrngringajgages also drew Its share

of broadsides in the press from professional pundits. The Daily Telegraph.
a Conservative-aligned newspaper. enlisted the aid of former Attorney-
General Lord Rawllnson to write an arficle tified. "The Case Against Mr.

David Hare." In It Rawllnson snldely remarked:

I refired from the bar some years ago after nearly 40
years of practice. Sitting through Mr. David Hare's play
Murmuring Judges at the National Theatre and seeing the
extraordinary lives of the lawyers whom he has portrayed, I
began to think that had been a mistake.

For if I had stayed. I too—like Mr. Hare's appaling QC—
might have appeared on Desert Island Disks: I too might have
become a Knight Commander of the British Empire. whatever
that may be: and I too might have had a pimp and a
procurer for a clerk to fix me up with all the newest and
choices of the lady barristers who had just Iolned chambers.
These certainly are the days-atthe bar Invented and
peopled by Mr. David Hare.

It Is. of course. all theatrical nonsense. Judges and
barristers just do not talk and certainly do not act like Mr.
Hare's preposterous caricatures. who are merely puppets
made to say and do abominable things so that Mr. Hare can
read the public a lecture.

Rawllnson's solution to the problem the playwright poses?

Because of his travesty. the sentence on Mr. Hare by at least
this judge Is that he should attend every day for three months
at the Old Bailey, Snaresbrook Crown Court and Bow Street.
the sentences to run consecufively: and that each day he
should be obliged to record what punishment he personally
would inflict on each of those convicteduand. finally. that as
a good democrat he should publish his sentences to the
public and to his neighbors In parficular.

He then might understand the dilemma of the judges
he has so cartcatured and he might even have to encounter

229

the public. whose homes have been ransacked. elderly
relafives assulted and young relatives raped.

I doubt that when he had served this sentence he
would write another pantomime like Murmuring Judges.
(Rawllnson)

Even participants In the staging process of Mrergrinanagas found
It the least manageable of the three in the trilogy. Richard Eyre. who
claims his Involvement with each play was "extensive conversation from
the first draft. somefimes even before the first draft." admits. "Murmuring
,irragas was the most difficult to write. It went through a number of drafts.
It was quite unlike IneAbsengegfliiLar which was read In a studio in
January and nailed down In script form in April." (Eyre inianriew)

, Mgrmgringjgages was one of Giles Croft's first real projects as
Uterary Manager at the National. He says. "Baaingjlerngn existed as a
play when I came here. I had no relationship with David before that.
David Is a private person and secretive about his work up unfil the fime to
present It. and Richard Is a long-standing relafionship of his. He Is David's
director and effectively his dramaturg. In keeping with the long English
tradifion of directors acfing as dramaturgs. With W. David
was the least Interested In the minor plotfing of It. He wanted to write a
big play about the law. but actually plotting the minor parts was not as
Interesting to him." (Croft intendew)

For all of Its faults. however. Wags definitely found an
audience on the South Bank. One of Hare's earlier blg successes at the
National. W. was placed Into the Lyttelton Theatre's
repertory twice. In 1988 and 1989. It ran a total of 126 performances and
played to 79.122 audience members according to Nafional Theatre Press

Officer Stephen Wood. RQQIDQJZQIIIQD. meeting even more unanimous

230

crIfical acclalm. played all three Nafional theatres for a total of 177
performances. attracting 124.353 viewers. Logging In fewer
performances than either. a mere 103. Murmuringauages surpassed Ina
SQQLQLRQQEJLQ. and edged close to Ragingileman. It was seen by
98.862 Nafional Theatre patrons.

On the poslfive side. William does accomplish a few
things. It adds to the discussion and general knowledge of problems In
the criminal justice system—a topic of worldwide importance. It Is
occasionally thought-provoking beyond mere statlsfical Informafion and It
provides a look Inside levels of society many Britons never see. something

the last play In the Trilogy. IneAbsenaeaflArar. was desfined to do even

more thoroughly.

231

The Absence of War

From the Church, to the Law. to the State. David Hare's amblfious
trilogy culminates In an examination of one of humankind's most
complicated and Important endeavors: politics. The final play In the
project. Ina Absenae at War. Is an attempt to combine the best elements
of the first two. Visually as grand and cinematic as Murmuring Jagges, It
nonetheless maintains a simple. single plofilne. reminiscent of Mg
Demon.

While planning the trilogy"s apex Hare was somewhat evasive.
During a discussion with Richard Eyre following a production of W
Jagges the writer was asked If his next play would be about pollficians.
"Yes," he responded. "In Western democracies. politicians and those
around them are currenfiy held In such low regard that I was fascinated
by the prospect of trying to look at the world from their point of view.
More than that at the moment. I don't want to say." (Hare Disgassigm

Part of his reticence may have been due to the polifical and social
regrouplng Hare and members of Britain's Left had undergone In the past
year. While researching and writing Mgrmaringflgas. the playwright.
along with the rest of the world. was shocked by the unexpected
resignation of Margaret Thatcher In November of 1990. Though she had
been experiencing difficulty within her party for a few months. and had
lost a great deal of popular support by confinulng to fight against
European unity and lnsfitufing the dreaded poll tax In place of a tax on
property. Thatcher was expected to rally from behind and turn her party

around again.

232

Hare did not have to rethink Mgnngrinngrdges in light of recent
events. The conditions described In the play were results of Thatcherite
Britain that would certainly last Into the next administrafion. particulary
when the new Prime Minister turned out to be John Major. someone the
Iron Lady had groomed for the post herself. However. the political
upheaval undoubtedly had an effect on the way the Labour Party would
be viewed In his next play. since Thatcher's sudden departure after more
than eleven years In office had a galvanizing effect on Labourltes. giving
them their first honest chance at an elecfion win In decades.

After the play had been written and he was ready to discuss his
work. he explained In Askingflgrma. "I was some time deciding the
subject of my third play. By now my methods had been established and
there was no shortage of volunteers stepping forward to offer their own
Institutions as possible subject matter." Some of those volunteers. the
playwright says. represented teachers. doctors. the Army. and even the
royal House of Windsor. Still. he felt drawn toward the State. even though
he realized It was a very broad subject. "As usual." Hare says. "It was a
chance encounter. this time with a couple of Labour apparatchiks. which
made me realize that I should abandon any absurd ambifion I had to
describe the workings of the State. Instead. I set out to capture that
strange moment at which a small part of the State Is compelled. for a few
weeks at least. to offer Itself up to the public"s Inspection." (Hare 161) The
play. Hare decided. would be about a national etecfion.

Hare's InIfial hesitation to discuss his new work may be quite
understandable given the task he had chosen. IneAbsgngeaflnLar Is not
just a play about an elecfion and about politicians In Britain in general.

More specifically. It is about the Labour Party and their attempts to win

233

power in the general elecfion of 1992. While his research for Ma
Demgn and Mgrrngringaggges Involved shadowing and Interviewing
parish vicars. policemen. lawyers. and judges, his subjects were mostly
low-profile professionals whose personalities. even If duplicated on the
stage. were not likely to be recognized or slandered. An up—to-the-
minute description of the Labour Party's inner workings. however. would
likely produce events and characters Immediately recognizable to a
politically conscious theatre-going public.

In actuality. there was some friction. Hare has been a supporter,
albeit a critical one. of the Labour Party for years. and even developed a
friendship with Labour Leader Nell KInnock. In the research stages of his
play. KInnock gave Hare access to his campaign team and made him
privy to behind-the-scenes meetings. He was allowed to conduct
Interviews with Important Labour figures and record all that he saw and
heard. It wasn't until the play was announced. along with publicafion of
Hare's research materials In AskingArguna. that Labourltes became
suspicious and defensive.

Suddenly there was concern that the Party's support for the project
might be withdrawn. a prospect that. while not damning for Hare the
playwright and his artlsfic creafion. could be messy for a heavily
subsidized theatre and a company made of largely Labour supporters.
The Evening Standard reported one party Insider as saying, "I knew he was
researching a play but I didn't know he was going to repeat whole
conversations In a book. He would not have been allowed that sort of
access from the start if we had known about the book." (Hooberman 11)

Reportedly. the Issue was resolved when the playwright presented

his work to KInnock. not for censoring. but for reassurance. "David has

234

battled with the Labour Party all summer." his publisher was quoted as
saying. "but Nell KInnock likes the play. and everything seems to be hunky-
dory now with the high command." (De Johngh 31)

The play does bear many sImIIarIfies to recent political figures and
events In Britain. and It certainly takes It share of broadsides at both
leading political parties. In some ways. though. It sfill manages to
transcend simple Immedlacy. Certainly Hare's depiction of a struggling
Labour Party. Inches away from capturing the top seat In government
during a drasfic financial crisis only to tumble once again and cede to
Conservative sensibilities. Is familiar to anyone who voted In the last
elecfion. However. there Is more to it. WM raises
perennial and universal quesfions about the relationship between the
governors and the governed . the ethics of polltlcklng. the Integrity of
belief. and more.

What Hare hopes the play offers that none others before have Is an
honest look at the people who legislate our lives, not Just In Britain. but all
around the world. It does not devote Itself full time to celebrafing or
safirizlng a particular figure or group of people. but. rather. attempts a
balanced assessment of the pros and cons of politics. And. Indeed. most
of the characters In IngAasenaagflNar are much better defined than
the legal caricatures of Marmaringaiaages. Many are at least as
dimensional as the clergy In Ragingjleman.

While both Hare's earlier attempts Involved three or more
simultaneous stories. this one revolves around a single person and a single
event: the Right Honorable George Jones MP. leader of the opposition
Labour Party. and his attempt to win the seat of Prime Minister. The other

characters In the play-Labour Party officials. campaign workers.

235

reporters. and polifical adversaries-all contribute somehow to the saga of

the rise and fall of Jones" amblfion.

Symbolically. the muIfi-scene play opens during a Memorial Day
ceremony at the Cenotaph. Britain's monument to its fallen soldiers In the
wars of the twentieth century. Hare's use of such significant settings In the
trilogy Is usually astute. With the excepfion of the less obvious Crystal
Palace reference In W. his strategically chosen locations
evoke feelings common to most Britons that help In understanding the
scene that plays before them.

While a news broadcaster narrates the ceremony of the Cenotaph.
which involves the leaders of the three main political parties In Britain
laying wreaths of poppies on the monument. the audience Is given fime
to reflect on the Importance of the ritual to the play's fifie. Then. following
the chiming of Big Ben and a cannon salute. Andrew Buchan steps
forward and addresses the audience. His opening sollloquy immediately
establishes the nature of most of the characters in the play. the
polificlans. and It provides some Insight into Hare's feelings about "the
absence of war."

"I love this moment." Andrew says. referencing the Cenotaph
ceremony. "The two minutes' silence...tt gives you a breath. just to
question. The quesfions everyone In politics asks. Why these hours? Why
these ridiculous schedules? Up and out of our beds at six every day.

Read the papers. When you know already what the papers will say...Then
the first meeting of the day. Seven o'clock and I'm there. And outside
that meeting. another meefing. already beafing. bulging, pressing

against the door. Your mind's already on the next one. the one you are

236

already late for. the one which may—God help us-achleve a little more
than the one you are at now. What is this for? This madness?" (Hare
Amgnagaflnrar rehearsal draft 2)

The Idea Hare Is getting at through Andrew's questioning Is one
familiar to several of his characters. It is the notion that success In any
endeavor—polifics. policing. or whatever-can often be achieved just by
persistence. In W Marion tells Tom, "Someone said. 'Do
you know what polifics Is? Finally? Politics Is being there every day.‘ And
you know It's true. You have to be there. I'm there every day." (Hare 61)
In Murmuringanrages Barry voices a similar belief to Sandra when he
comments about policing. "The hard way"s the other one. the one that's
taken by all the poor bloody footsoldiers. like Lester and Jimmy and
Dave...Who'd never even think of betraying their pals. But they have a
talent which no-one seems to value. Their talent is for turning up every
day. Yeah. for being there." (Hare 94)

Perhaps by way of explanation. Andrew continues. "I have a
theory. People of my age. we did not fight In a war. It you fight in a war.
you have some sense of personal worth. So now we seek It by keeping
busy. We work and hope we will feel we do good." (Hare 3) Besides
being a comment on Andrew's life In politics, this statement Is also an
obvious reference to Hare's background and view of the world. Though
the play primarily concerns Itself with the General Elecfion and there are
really few references to war of any kind. the tifie and Andrew's somewhat
existenfial jusfificatlon hover In the air. Hare Is certainly no warmonger.
but admits the drive to make war ls part of human nature and suggests

society Is very different In times of peace.

237

As in Mgmflnam, the scene changes are rapid and fluid.
clnemafically dissolving from onetime and locate to another. As Andrew
concludes his comments on the Cenotaph ceremony the stage quickly
changes to the Lobby of the House of Commons where George Jones"
staff waits for him prior to Prime Minister's question time In the next session.

Again the surroundings are appealing for an audience because of
the aIr of mystery about them. Hare describes the area: "Four corridors
meet in an octagonal Gothic space with marble statuary and a tiled floor
of many colours. To one side there Is a desk. rather like a maitre d's. and
attended by men In tails and white ties and by a couple of policemen.

All around. MPs. summoned by the small chits they hold in their hands. are
mingling and meeting with members of the public." (Hare 4) While many
people In the audience may have glimpsed the very halls the playwright
describes during a visit to the House. few have been privy to the Inner
workings of the politics that take place within them. Seeing the politician
characters Interact in the space Is like tugging away a veil from a curious.
IIghfiy shrouded object.

The Leader's office staff arrive one at a time to await their eccentric
leader's late appearance. Gwenda Aaron. Jones" diary secretary. and
Mary Housego. his press secretary, frantically scour the halls of Commons
searching for their missing leader while the Members of Parliament.
Including Jones' Shadow Chancellor. Malcolm Pryce. begin to assemble.

In the midst of all the bustle Andrew meets Lindsay Fontalne. a
public relafions manager Jones' office ls screening as a candidate to
organize publicity for the upcoming campaign. Early in their conversation
about Jones there Is the first Indicafion about the flaw that will plague him

unfil the end. Undsay says. "When you meet him of course he's

238

fantasfically Impressive. I found myself wondering why am I surprised?
He's so authoritafive...You meet George. you think: 'thls man Is dynamite."
So then you ask the next quesfion. Why on earth does this never quite
come across?" (Hare 5)

George's continued absence allows Andrew to Introduce Lindsay
to Malcolm Pryce. the Leader's second In command. Though George
hasn't even arrived yet, there Is an obvious perceived contrast between
he and Malcolm. George has been described as occasionally absent-
mInded. less than impressive In public appearances, and apparently a
twinge Irresponsible when It comes to meeting his staff. Malcolm, on the
other hand, Is "in his late forties, laconic. smooth and extremely sharp" and
Is accompanied by his "minder." Bruce. a young aide with a portable
phone who sficks to his every move.

There Is also the hint of dissent In Malcolm's behavior. He Is
outraged to hear that George Is "out of control" and missing. and reacts
coldly to Lindsay's presence. Before Lindsay has time to defend herself
and her job a cry goes up that George has been spotted and Is on his
way in. The excitement and confusion prior to Jones' actual arrival lend a
sense of antlclpafion to the moment. When he finally appears he felgns
an air of unassuming Innocence. "Were you looking for me?" he asks. "I
was In the park...lt was like spring. I looked round. People were walking.
And kissing. And talking. I thought. you lucky people...You're free and I'm
not." (Hare 13) Though George's mannerisms lnIfially seem to be
borrowed from Chaunce the gardener In W. his real stature Is
obvious from the reacfions of those around him. Hare has managed to
create In Jones a unique flcfional, political figure. He Is not a man of

straw. designed to be propped up and knocked down for his Ideological

239

bent. nor Is he a mythological hero. IIonIzed like Churchill or Lord Nelson.
Rather. he Is a multI-faceted human being.

After George and Malcolm and the other MP5 wend their way Into
the hall. Hare presents another public ritual some may not have seen and
others may find archaic. patriofic. or merely Interesfing: the Speaker's
procession prior to the opening of the meefing of the House. After a

policeman quIets the crowd In the lobby, It Is described:

(There Is a moment's pause. then the back doors
are flung open. Standing already waiting to pass
through the lobby is the SPEAKER"s procession. A
man In full 18th century fig--stocklngs and
knickerbockersnis carrying the mace and behind
him the SPEAKER himself is bewigged. The
POLICE have assembled on either side as the
procession takes a few steps forward. There Is a
great cry.)

CLERK: Speaker!

(In the silence now. the whole group pass
through the lobby. the public watching In awe)

CLERK: Hats off, strangers! (Hare 14)

For someone as critical of British society as Hare. it might seem
paradoxical for him to present so many of his country's revered rituals In
plays without making some direct comment on their validity. He Is a
writer. though. who recognizes the dramatic potential of these places
and events. Furthermore. allowing his audiences to simply view the
spectacles without comment and decide for themselves what the
tradlfions mean to them is not contradictory to his role as social
commentator. Hare Is not out to destroy British heritage. As he notes.

"The one thing I have Ieamt and understood from five years" study Is that

240

British society needs not to abolish Its institutions. but to refresh them. For.

It not through Institutions. how do we express the common good?" (Hare

AskmaAmmdB)

Once Inside the House of Commons. George's polifical convictions
are presented In a speech to the Prime Minister. From his posifion on the
floor the Leader harangues his Conservative opposition. accusing them of
running down the country with Ineffective policy and taking advantage
of their constituencies. Yet his rhetoric reveals a politician with a sense of
humor and human foibles. He compares the Tories to "a lonely drunk
wandering through the streets at four-thirty in the morning. muttering to
itself. blaming Its misfortunes on others and desperately searching.
scrabbling through the early morning trashcans for any polifical Ideas It
might still be able to lift." (Hare 15)

Toward the end of his firade. however. he loses his thread of
thought and stumbles to a conclusion by likening his adversaries to a
chicken with Its head cutoff. Immediately following George's speech. his
staff Is divided on his effectiveness before the assembly. but everyone
feels he has gained them much needed news coverage with his colorful
comparisons.

As they go about the business of running the Labour Party office
more details of George's leadership pracfices are revealed. When
Gwenda presents him with a stack of documents about transport and
technology In Europe to prepare him for Interviews and debates he
replies. "I'm not reading this...Don't bog me down In detail. Push the work
away. Push It away... You can't reach me. No-one can reach me. I

believe In order and calm." (Hare 19) George. who Is an avid playgoer.

241

Insists everyone In politics should go to the theatre: then they would
understand his working method.

Though there Is something of an elitist quality about what George
suggests that doesn't seem to fit the Leader of the Labour Party. his
boisterous, friendly demeanor Implies his Intenfions are noble. He honestly
feels most capable and lnvIgorated when a large part of the
responsibilities of his office are delegated to others. George's struggle
with Machiavellian principles of leadership are another sign that 10.62
W Is not a pro-Labour propaganda drama. The fictional
Labour Party In the play is obviously as fallible as any of Its real-life
counterparts.

One of the Issues George does have to take up Is whether or not to
use Undsay Fontaine as their PR representafive. The question of her
candidacy allows Hare the chance for more comments about poltfics In
Britain and In general. When Oliver Dix, George's Immediate advisor.
questions whether Undsay Is a Labour member Andrew. In a comical job
at the playwright's own party. answers. "Yes. Just...She only joined ten
days ago...but be fair. George. No-one's a member. Do you know any
members? I mean. outside people like us? She didn't get round to It. It's
like hang-gliding. or learning a second language. Joining the Labour
party Is something people mean to get round to do." (Hare 2021)

Mary points out that Undsay ran the campaign for the Sandinlstas In
Nicaragua and gave the people T-shirts to wear reading "Vote
Sandlnlsta." Remindlng everyone that that the Sandlnlstas lost the
election. Oliver angrily suggests. "The truth Is. the people do stupid things.

Uke wear your bloody T-shlrt and then vote against you." Touchingly.

242

George counters with. "It's their right. it's the only right they've got. You
can never depend on them." (Hare 21-22)

George's admonition Is at once a portent of things to come. like
Frances' premonifions about Lionel In Ragingjlernan and Woody's
presentlments about Irina in W. and a comment on his
true egalitarian nature. refufing any suspicions that there might be a
conservafive wolf hiding beneath his liberal sheep's clothing.

For all his grumbling. though. Oliver Is not set against Lindsay, merely
ambivalent about her. "Undsay Fontalne?" he says, "Sure. I've seen her. I
saw her once on TV. Lindsay's who people are...ProfessIonals. A lot of
front maybe. With a lot of confidence. Maybe...OK...underneath a bit
lost. Not knowing what they think. Used to affluence. And things not
being difficult." Getting to sound a bit like the characters on the front
lines In Ragingfierngn and Mgrmrrrinngdges Oliver confinues, "The big
difference Is: she Just hasn't been through it...She hasn't known what Its
like to be powerless. And take this crap every day. Always under fire."
(Hare 23-24)

Oliver's comments about Undsay suggest she is similar In nature to

previous characters in Hare's plays. Elaine Le Fanu in W.

Grace in Wreckedjaas. Marion and Rhonda In 113mm.
Frances in Ragingjlemgn and Irina In W all share some of

her qualifies. They occupy high profile jobs. are either wealthy or
surrounded by affluence, question their roles. and somefimes seem like
outsiders to their professions and relafionshlps.

In one of the first construcfive criticisms of the Conservafive Party.
George agrees with Oliver's assessment of their predicament. Returning

to the issue of "805 Thatcherlte avarice he complains. "Ufe"s much less

243

tricky for the Tories. They have the advantage over us. They simply ask.
what school did he go to? What bank did he work In? Is he a QC? They
use all the people who sell them their shares. Hell. they have whole
troops of infantry. Who wear the same uniforms. And gather round flags.
Rock solid Infantry who all understand... the point of It all Is one thing.

One objective. Which everyone knows. And Is loyal to. Money's a simple
master in that way." (Hare 24-25)

Returning to the question at hand. Andrew tells George that
Malcolm disliked Undsay and gave her a hard fime. Playing devil's
advocate. he suggests there might be a personality problem to contend
with. Oliver. however. shrugs off Malcolm's complaint with a casual. "He
doesn't have to like her." and describes his reaction as "textbook number
two behavior." I

Oliver's advice does not sit well with George and. In another
foreshadowing of bad things to come, he tells him. "I won't hear a word
against Malcolm. Is that understood? Not a word. Malcolm's all right."
(Hare 27) It Is this allegiance to his party and his peers that earns hIm

respect as a character later In the play. but also loses him the election.

Undsay does win their confidence. or at least their approval. as she
explains In a short sollloquy bridging the fourth and sixth scenes. "I joined
two days later." she recalls. "I had a short Interview. George talked about
everything except the actual job. As I remember we talked about why
nowadays there are five producfions of RICHARD III to every one of HENRY
V." (Hare 29)

The scene Lindsay walks Into takes place In the Leader's offices a

few days later. Mary bursts Into the room with the alarming news that the

244

value of the pound Is dropping again. forcing both pollfical parfies Into
the limelight. The usual staff-Oliver. Lindsay. Mary. and Andrew—are
Joined by Bryden Thomas, an old guard party member who serves as the
Deputy Leader. Collectively they prepare their attack. The Labourltes'
strategy Is simple. tried. and true. They plan to put both Malcolm and
George on television saying the same reassuring things about the
economy and the stability of the country.

Undsay. however. In her role as public relations consultant.
quesfions the wisdom of putting both Malcolm and George before the
public on the Issue. Stafing one of the unfortunate trulsms of the
beleagured organization. Oliver tells her. "This Is the Labour party. We all
have to say the same thing." It is an example of contemporary politics In
Britain being coerced by the press, and one no doubt familiar to most
developed democracies. George explains. "If Bryden or I use any
different words then Its a hostage to fortune. The DAILY EXPRESS says
we're split." Worse, he explains. If they say nothing the headline will read.
"JONES IS SILENT. JONES DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ECONOMICS." (Hare 36-
37)

Undsay attempts a variety of tactics to dissuade George from
making an appearance she thinks Is doomed to fail. Including throwing
some derogatory poll statlsfics at him and suggesting that. If the Labour
Party has to look weak. they should let Malcolm be the front man alone.
In the end, though, Oliver and Andrew convince the Leader to tow the
party line and adhere to the strategy. He tells Undsay. "I have to do It.
The reason Is simple. It's what Malcolm wants. And Bryden will tell you.
polifics Isn't just about strategy. It's also down to personal relationships."
(Hare 40)

245

This sentiment was similarly expressed by Uonel. then Harry and
Streaky In Ragingjlerngn when one at a time they entreated Tony to sfick
with his friends In the parish and not make waves with the Bishops. It was
also echoed by Barry In Myrrnuringamages. used as leverage against
Sandra's accusations of lmpropriety. In three plays that deal so
thoroughly with huge public topics. It Is perhaps the most persistent
reminder that the playwright places Immense value on personal.
relationships. for better or worse.

After George leaves to make his scheduled appearance on the air.
his advisors assess the disagreement they just had. In another wry jab at
Labour. Oliver tells Lindsay, "I'll say this for you. I understand why you
joined the party two weeks ago. You're a natural Labour party member.
You just made four enemies In under five minutes." Andrew agrees. "She
was like a veteran. She brought back memories of the great days." and
Bryden adds. "When I joined. we had people who were so offensive they
could dispatch a whole Party Conference to the tearoom." (Hare 41)

Hare's frequent mild rebukes of the Labour Party are a reminder
that he Is not a propogandlst. but an occasional thoughtful dissenter.
Were he Interested in pure slanderous slapstick the result might have
been something along the lines of Brenton's Afinanfinargfingaki that
depicts the Tory party as bumbling Incapables, not the liberals as middle-
of-the—road. struggling Idealists.

George's staff continues their debate. concentrating on the Leader
himself. "We know there's a problem of public perception." Oliver admits.
in order to make George look better. they place him next to Malcolm
who Is "unarguably clever. I don't just mean clever. I mean Oxbrldge.

Incisive." (Hare 43)

246

Undsay points out that George rose to his position by Inspiring
crowds of people with his oratory skills. not by parroting fired dogma. In
this regard she has a real life counterpart In Julie Hall. Labour Leader Nell
KInnock's Press Secretary for the 1992 campaign. After Labour lost the "92
elecfion Hare spoke with Hall and made some of the same observafions
about KInnock that Lindsay makes about George Jones. "I agree
absolutely." she said. "Ever since 1 Joined. that was my message. Be
yourself. But there were also pressures on him not to be his natural self. to
hold himself in. So we didn't get the real Neil—the more they got to know
him--the more they liked him." (Hare AskingArogna 227)

In the play. Oliver represents one of the pressures that worked
against the Leader's natural expression. He points out to Undsay. "The
danger ls. emofion plays havoc with thought" when George Is speaking.
"Oratory"s like poetry," he Insists. "Nobody asks what does poetry mean?
You can say. OK I sort of get the feeling...But TV. you see...TV funcfions
quite dlfferenfiy. On TV you actually have to make sense." Putting It
carefully and mildly Oliver finishes. "He has a problem. all right? With
actual consequenfial factual coherence. He has that problem. From
fime to tIme...He also has problems Judging his length." (Hare 45)

The can of worms Oliver has opened Is one that has plagued the
Leader's office since George took over the post. Owing to the boom In
mass communications In the twenfieth century. every major poltfical
leader since Franklin D. Roosevelt first appeared on television at the 1939
World's Fair In New York City has had to contend with "Imaging" or
"packaging." It Is the stuff of Undsay's profession. Unfortunately. It Is not

something George does well.

247

Nor. from what actual Labourltes say. Is It something the Party as a
whole has had good experiences with. After stepping down from the
Leader's post following his defeat In the "92 campaign. Nell KInnock spoke
with Hare on a variety of topics. one of which was the press. He
commented. "The media In this country can basically be relied on to back
them (the Tories) up In good times and not to make things bad when
times get hard. I know people think It's weak to blame the media for
everything, but they do determine the environment of politics. I know it
seems like alibi hunting. but for the Labour Party all the trails trace back to
the media. because at any point. if there Is the slightest difference
between any of us. they can point to the terrible damage of the past.
The Labour movement has one basic fault. It denounces the capitalist
press on one hand and yet on the other It accepts what It reads In It."
(Hare AskingAraunQ 234-235)

Oliver and Andrew take turns relating the horrible debacle that
occurred when George was last on the Linus Frank program. a prominent
Interview broadcast. Letfing his emotions get the best of him, he stuttered
and backtracked under the quesfioner's Intense scrufiny. then lost himself
and his audience trying to extricate himself from the mess he had made.
Everyone wants to avoid a similar spectacle in the future.

Returning from his recent appearance. however. George admits
just such an error was mode. When the reporters asked him If he
supported the present government In Its crisis. he found he couldn't say
yes or no, but Instead rambled on, just as Lindsay had warned.

Perhaps mercifully. the group Is left no time to dwell on the
problem. Trevor Avery. a burly agent from the Special Branch. nearly

follows George through the door with news that he has arrived to protect

248

the possible future leader of the country. Unbeknownst to George and his
crew. while they were busy planning Labour‘s response to the devalued
pound. the Tories. led by Prime Minister Charles Kendrick. were preparing
to announce a surprise general election. a privilege granted the
Incumbent party In Britain.

In this regard the events of IneAbsengeMar approximate the
real events leading up to the election of 1992. Hare explains. "The
General Elecfion of 1992 was unusual in that It had been so long
anticipated. Although a British government ls technically allowed to run
Its full five-year period. It Is commonly expected that an Incumbent prime
minister will use the advantage of surprise to go to the polls well before
the end of his term. But because In late 1990 he had suddenly Inherited
the leadership from the markedly unpopular Margaret Thatcher. John
Major had judged that he needed time to establish the authority of his
own regime before risking It with an appeal to the electorate. The result
had been a long and slIghfiy unreal period of walfing." (Hare Asking
Araung 162)

Indeed, the announcement comes as a surprise to everyone In the
office, who all thought the elecfion wouldn't be announced for weeks.
They react with varying degrees of alarm. Mary Is Immediately on the
phone Setting up press conferences while Oliver stands In the middle of
the room cursing the opposition"s sneakiness. Andrew Is too flabergasted
to take any action while the seasoned Bryden Is relatively calm. A wave
of trepidafion. then excitement washes over George. When asked If he
expected the sudden announcement he admits. "No. I'd booked for

HAMLET this evening." and curses Kendrick. saying. "I really wanted to go.

249

He does It to annoy me. he knows. he knows I'd been looking forward to It
all week."

When the reality of the situation finally catches up with him.
however, he is Inspired. Throwing his arms in the air and dancing he
around he cries. "Oh God. let It come. yes. let it come. let It come now.
Please God let it come." At the end of the scene he soberly faces
Malcolm. his number two man. and tells him. "This Is what we've been
waifing for." As they embrace. however. the playwright suggests an
uncertainty and awkwardness meant to reveal the enormous differences
between the two men and suggest the rough fimes that lay ahead.
(Hare 50-52)

The next scene provides the first glimpse of the opposifion. Prime
Minister Charles Kendrick announces his decision to call an election to the
press. His remarks. like those of the Labour Party so far. are state and
predictable. "We cannot have prosperity, we cannot have sound
financial practice unfit the danger-~however remote-of a possible Labour
government Is removed from the back of people's minds." he insists. Then.
summoning patrlofic verve. he continues. "I am fired at the relentless
negativity. of listening to anopposifion which does nothing but run Britain
down. That fires me. Becasue this Is a great country. I believe. the
greatest on earth."

Kendrick"s short appearance covers a scene change that relocates
the action to George's fiat In a London suburb. His staff Is arriving one at a
time for a meal of scrambled eggs and a strategy meeting. While Undsay
prepares the meal George passes a few more comments about the

potifics In general and Brifish practices In particular. "Whatever happens.

250

politicians always say they welcome It." he complains. "Everything that
happens. we pretend It's what we foresaw. It's why I dislike us. The job's
Inherently undignified. We have to pretend we're In control."

Responding to Lindsay's quesfions about Kendrick and his
unexpected announcement. the Leader rails. "There Is no constitution. It's
one of those words which Kendrick will use. It means "doing what I want
to.‘ But saying 'constitutlon' makes him feel big. I've watched him.
"Massive troop movements." That's another favourite of his. He'll comment
on any war. Anywhere. However obscure. I think. why's he making a
statement about some piddling little country ten thousand miles away?
And then he'll say 'Overnight there have been massive troop movements.‘
He loves them." (Hare 55)

Of course. George's condemnation of politicians and his opposition
come as no surprise to observant voters. People don't like to be fooled
but. Hare seems to suggest. their need for confidence In their leaders
often overcomes pride In their wisdom of choice.

For the first time since Andrew's speech at the Cenotaph Hare
brings up the title of the play when Undsay asks George about his
fondness for the Army. He admits his admiration for the armed forces and
adds. "I'm afraid there's a sense in which I even quite like a war." He
claims his military constituency follows him because "they know I'd pull the
trigger. In a fifty-fifty. I could do the deed. And then I'd be able to live
with It." (Hare 56) Though his boasts seem to be Innocent bravado. they
are destined to haunt him Iaterln the campaign.

When Mary. Oliver. and Andrew finally arrive there Is one _
conspicuous absence: MalColm. Remarking on the missing Shadow

Chancellor Oliver says. "He said you should go ahead. It's your show. He

251

doesn't feel he should Interfere." (Hare 58B) Erroneously shrugging off the
significance of Malcolm's gesture. George confinues the meeting with a '
look at "the war book." Labour's campaign strategy recently completed
and pressed in an enormous ring binder.

From sitting In on planning sessions Hare learned some of the
strategies campaign parfies employ an a daily basis. Gwenda goes over
the Itinerary briefly, "This Is the digest. You'll see If you look. the plan Is like
last fime. each moming"s press conference establishes a theme." and the
members of the group pick up on the thread. "Tuesday health.
Wednesday educafion. Thursday health..." (Hare 59)

The strategy does seem akin to generals plotting battle plans.
Oliver observes. "Elecfions. you see, people think they're about
arguments...They think when politicians speak It's an act of sense. But it's
not. It's an act of strategy. It's taking up a posifion. It Isn't like debate.
We're not actually debating...The only true analogy Is with waging war."
As he gleefully relishes the comparison his comrades join him. chanfing

their tasks like a mantra:
ANDREW: Keep it tight...
OLIVER: Yeah...
ANDREW: Keep It focussed...
OLIVER: Yeah...

ANDREW: Keep It on track. Hit hard. Hit constanfiy. Give
them a good pounding.

MARY: Don't get distracted.

252

ANDREW: Never respond. Never let them set the agenda.
And get off their ground as soon as you can.
(Hare 63-64)

In this particular war. Hare wishes to acknowledge some of the
weaknesses of his side. Perhaps subtly prodding the Labour Party. Oliver
Insists. "The economy Is always going to be a Tory Issue. It's theirs. They
own It. However unfair It Is...George can speak all he likes on the caring
Issues. Health. Educafion. He plays to his pluses. that's fine. What he
mustn't do Is in any way Is remind people that when he's elected he's
going to be In charge of their money. Because that's where people don't
trust him at all." (Hare 60)

Oliver's point has been a sticky one for the Labour Party ever since
various liberal reforms failed to materialize due to financial entanglements
following the Second World War. The Labour Party. like the American
Democratic Party during roughly the same era. has been on the ropes
again and again. straddled with "care Issues" like health. schools. and
welfare. white struggling to find funding without angering and alienating
voters.

In this election they feel they might sneak it past them. When
Undsay wonders aloud how exacfiy they plan to institute their reforms this
time if and when they achieve office. Oliver admits. "We will abolish
mortgage tax relief on our first day In Downing Street...But this Is not
something which we can say." Not to be left out, Mary adds. "Because It's
too dangerous...Mortgage tax relief Is the homeowner's perk. It's
unearned. It's lnequltable. It grossly favours the propertled class. In the
name of common fairness It should be withdrawn." (Hare 62)

Ethics aside. they feel that persistently pushing their reforms.

keeping this secret under their hats. and keeping George in careful

253

control will wIn the Labour Party their first election In two decades.

Lindsay is not only surprised by the mortgage tax relief Issue. but frustrated
by the group's continued efforts to sfifie George. Her battle Is a losing

one. however. for even George agrees he needs to represent the Party \
first and himself last. "You can never lose sight of the problem that when‘
this Party fell Into my hands, It was torn. Idsfigured. unelectable." he tells
Undsay. "With a matchless capacity for meaningless squabbles and fights.
So changing that culture. changing that disastrous habit of anarchy.
controlling the Party. getting it to speak with one voice. this has been my
historical legacy." (Hare 65)

Uke NeilKInnock and the real Labour Party, George and his gang
feel that the first election of the "905 Is their first chance to change their
luck. "In opposition you're always waifing," George poInts out. "You go
Into polifics to get something done. And In opposition you do precisely
nothing. But for these three weeks (the campaign) at least you exist."
They end the scene with a toast to George, Iauding him as the quesfing
hero of Bunyon's Pilgrim's Progress. "To Pilgrim." they exclaim, "May he win

throughl" (Hare 67-68)

The final scene of the first act Is based on an event Hare witnessed:
a Labour rally shortly after the 1992 campaign began. He describes his

experience:

In some haste. the Labour party has prepared one of Its
slightly ambiguous events. which Is part-launch. part-photo
opportunity. and part-parade of all its most dlsfingulshed
supporters. Needless to say. these seem to me to be exactly
the 'usual suspects' I heard them say they wanted to avoid.
The event Is at the International Press Centre In Shoe Lane.
Backstage everyone is issued with red roses. Then Nell

254

KInnock does his piercing Imitation of a referee's whistle to
call the pollfictans and celebrlfies to order. They march on to
the stage. where the press and television people are already
assembled. Hilariously, the celebrities are put on a strange
little dais at the side where nobody can see them. A large
sign which will eventually read "IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE' Is
currently reading 'iT"T FO A CHA'. Workmen are still putting

the letters up. (Hare AskingAraang 171)

In the play similar conditions exist. The first sight of the conference
hall the audience gets ls from a rear perspective. Behind the stage ‘
where all the politicians and celebrities will gather are chairs. boxes. and
filing cabinets and a backward view of a sign that presenfiy reads: IT'S YO
LABO PAR.

The scene begins with an elderly Labour member's reminiscences
about the old days of the party. Vera. a woman In her sixties. seated by
herself to one side. reminds the audience of what the Labour Party meant

in the years just after World War II:

The most excifing words of my life? "Common ownership." To
hold things in common. this was our aim. This single phrase
produced a thrill In me. like grasping a thin electric wire.
Another phrase: "moral Imperative." This was the language
of after the war. Millions and millions of us. Most of us dead
now. Went to war and for the first time met the officer class.
The result of meeting them was returning to England and
throwing them out. (Hare 69)

Vera"s theme. disillusionment at mid-century. Is one Hare has dwelt
on before. most notably. of course. In flennr. but also in Tm:
Ekmbiiian and some of his films.

When the convenfioneers begin to gather confusion reigns
supreme. Malcolm arrives with Bruce. his minder, following his every move
and announcing his acfions to some unknown party at the other end of a

portable phone. Bryden and Andrew are busy scurrying about trying to

255

organize speeches and speakers while Mary corners top Labourltes with
their travelling Itineraries for the coming weeks. In the midst of It all
Lindsay arrives with various groups of people who have agreed to speak
to the conference about the horrible state of their jobs under
Conservative governments. They represent a consortium of the
professionals l-_lare might have neglected when wrlfing the trilogy:
doctors. nurses, and teachers.

The logistics of the hastily-constructed event seem overwhelming.
Besides gathering everyone In one agreed upon place and mounting a
worthy spectacle. supporters like Bryden and Andrew have to contend
with problems of decorum and personality clashes. Malcolm Is upset
because he has to speak third and refuses to even sIt on the same
platform with "flaming Vera." the old Labourlte. Lindsay has enlisted too
many guest professionals. all of whom have prepared speeches. and
everyone is worried about technical difficulfies.

In the end. though. they manage an orderly line behind the
platform. George prompts everyone. "This Is It. Let's do It like last fime.
Only this time we win." And with his words of encouragement the
entourage mounts the stage. with the exception of Vera who.
suggesfively. has been left behind asking. "When? Someone tell me.
When do we start?" (Hare 77)

The second act opens outside a television studio with a sollloquy by
Trevor Avery. George's security agent from the Protecfion Branch. Trevor
menfions some of the hazards of his job. his likes and dislikes. and makes
some topical references that sound familiar to both the "92 elecfion In

Britain and recent American presidenfial campaigns. "The Protection

256

Branch is good." he Insists. "Its a good posting. According of course to
who you get. There are certain Ministers—I'm not going to name them but
let's say they like climbing In and out of tanks wearing flak jackets--they're
the ones who treat you like dirt." (Hare 78) In Britain a member of Major's
cabinet was fond of the photo opportunities provided by army vehicles.
while his American parallel was. of course. the ill—fated Michael Dukakis.
running against George Bush In 1988.

The inside of the television studio just before George goes on the air
to be Interviewed provides Hare with another Interesfing location to
catch his audience's Imagination. There Is a tremendous amount of
bustle preparing the Leader for his appearance. Mary. Lindsay. and
Gwenda arrive almost simultaneously with refreshments for their point
man—water. soup. and orange juice—while George performs vocal warm-
ups. glimpses a stack of newspapers Mary has brought him and listens to
poll results from Lindsay. Arriving with a stack of notecards containing
possible quesfions he might be asked In order to brief George. Oliver
speaks with the voice of gloomy reason amid the upbeat fitters of his
comrades.

Once again. Oliver's concern reflects a problem that hindered the
real Labour Party In "92. "Wars aren't going well when nothing is
happening." he tells George. "There's no defining Issue. It's been seven
days. In every election there Is one crucial engagement." If Oliver knew
the harmful outcome of his prescience. he might regret his forthrightness.
He warns George about the potential hazards of the program he Is about
to appear on. the site of his previous Waterloo. The Linus Frank Show. but
before he can prepare him any further Linus himself appears and hustles

George off toward the set.

257

It Is obvious from the beginning that the Interviewer Is a
Conservafive supporter and primarily Interested In baiting George on the
air. Having already Interviewed the Tory Prime Minister. Linus tells George
before they go on the air. "You know. Kendrick Is good. At one-to-one
Interviews. I mean whatever your differences. you would have to say...just
as a pro...l'm an old pro myself...this man is pretty terrific." (Hare 89)

Once on the air, the situation only gets worse. Linus immediately
goes on the attack. He asserts. "There's a quesfion. now. Mr. Jones. I'd like
to raise with you...to do. If I may. with your pollcies...and the feeling
perhaps you've now changed policy so often that no-one quite knows
where your Party stands." lnlfially George withstands the offensive. He
counters. We can't win on this. When Tories change policies. It's called
flexibility and It's said to show strength. When we do It. It's vaclllatlon and
people say that we're weak." (Hare 93)

Soon. though. Linus manipulates the conversation into a heated
argument about the Interference of the press and George's educafion
and leadership difficulties. with neither side making clear points through
the din of shoufing. Then. In the midst of the debate. the reporter drops
his bombshell. "Let's look at mortgage tax relief." he slyly suggests.

Caught unaware. George cannot coherently respond to Linus'
questions about this supposedly secret aspect of Labour's strategy. He
denies the allegation. then backpeddles, and finally confronts the
Interviewer. asking If he Is calling him a liar. Linus' debilitating coup de
grace Is. "I'm calling you nothing. That Is for the public to decide. Thank
you Mr. Jones." Then the show ends and the scene returns to backstage.

In the wings George's entire staff ls both worried and angered.

concerned for their leader's emotional state but ready to berate him for

258

his susceptibility to Linus" attack. Mary rants. "You've handed them their
Issue. LABOUR"S SECRET PLAN TO RAISE TAX. You've handed them their
headlines." (Hare 100) It Is Oliver. though. who fumes the most. He
accuses George. "He sets the trap and you walk right In...l gave you the
cards. It was on the cards I bloody gave you. be careful. it said. watch for
It. watch for mortgage tax relief...But oh no! You're too vain to do your
bloody homework...Of course you're standing round wasting time with
these bloody girls...WIIt you never get It? Giggling with girls who are In
love with you...That"s not the bloody job. you Idiot." (Hare 101)

Already wrought with tension. his chief advisor's explosion is too
much for volatile George. The Leader loses control and physically assaults
Oliver, landing a punch In his face. The scuffle Is Immediately stopped by
Trevor and the staff. fortunately before anyone notices. and the two men
are dragged to another part of the building where they calm themselves
and try to sort out the disaster.

Oliver reveals the dramatic device Hare uses to turn these largely
accurate events Into a fictional play. George. It seems, through a vain
personal flaw. has brought this trouble on himself. Oliver tells him. "Before
the Interview started. I took you aside. Then I thought. no. It's not fair.
And you'd made a rule. You gave us a warning...Never speak III of
Malcolm Pryce." (Hare 102-103) Thanks to George's blind faith and
heedlessness. the "defining Issue" Oliver sought Is now In the open.
Malcolm Pryce. he discloses. had lunch with Linus Frank and likely blew
Labour's cover on the Mortgage Tax Relief Issue.

Though no one wants to think Malcolm dId It to sabotage their
efforts. everyone believes It happened. As Oliver points out. "He does

have a weakness. And It's one which Is common among Labour

259

politicians...He'lI say anything If you give him posh lunch." Andrew adds.
"God. don't you hate socialists? You buy them so cheapl You give them
one drink or one meal. Then they open the door." (Hare 104)

The playwright's mildly humorous perturbafion concerning the
eating habits of leftists is especially significant given his own experience
with the press at business lunches. Reporters from right-wing publications
like the Telegraph are fond of pointing out elitist qualities in Hare when. on
rare occasions. they find reason to profile him. Even the Sunday Times has
unearthed a bias. John Mortimer met Hare at a restaurant on October 6.
1991 for an interview about W. He couldn't help but
remark. "I found him sitting quietly In a corner of the restaurant. wearing a
blue suit and a tie and looking less like the sort of radical writer who
troubles Bernard Levin's sleep than the ex-head boy of a public
school...who has taken up a profession that keeps him quietly amused."
His mild rebukes continue through the Interview. Mortimer reports. ""The
English ruling classes are still brought up to be cynical. moderately Ironic
and detached." he told me over the squid," as if political dissenters and
socialists were not meant to eat from the entree listing of menus. In this
light. Oliver and Andrew's comments seem a likely job at both foolish
leftists and biased reporters.

Still. George's loyalty doesn't flag. "We can survive this." he tells his
crew, "But only If I get Malcolm on side. That's the priority. Mary, I have to
see Malcolm myself. Yes If necessary we both stop campaigning. The
Issue Is me. I'm now the Issue. And Malcolm's the only man who can
help." He finishes by asking everyone present to ignore what has taken

place and respect his example of allegiance to the Party.

260

The following scene takes place In an aircraft hangar after one of
George's speeches on the road. It Is the locafion chosen for his
showdown with Malcolm. The dialogue between the two men ts
probably the most extended writing of the play constructed enfirely from
Hare's Imaginafion and least dependent on actual events. The disfincfion
Is evident. The exchange Is more personal and dramatic and the points
raised are clearly not ones Hare would have been privy to at even the
most top level meetings.

Malcolm begins the conversafion by Immediately denying rumors
that he leaked secret Information to Unus Frank before George's
unfortunate appearance on his show. Anxious to get at a deeper Issue.
George shrugs off the whole affair and makes an appeal to his Shadow
Chancellor. "This Is the moment I turn to my friends." he Implores. (Hare
108)

George's real complaint Is that he needs enthusiastic support now
more than ever. and Malcolm and other speakers on the campaign trail
are not giving It to him. Malcolm revealingly protests. "There Is an
Intelligent electorate out there. If I suddenly start screaming George
Jones Is a genius. do you think they won't know there's something odd
going on?" (Hare 109) He argues that George always tries to find a
scapegoat for his problems and Is too surrounded by "George's
sycophants" to let news of the real world reach him.

For his part. George contends that the unelected cadre of
supporters who surround him and nourish him became necessary when.
after years of answering to every little problem and complaint that arose.
he couldn't take any more and needed a buffer in order to function.

Furthermore. he claims. the real Party members often failed him out of

261

snobbery. "The Peoples" Party," he challenges Malcolm. "Never
underestimate Its capacity for sheer condescenston. They don't like a
leader without a degree...One of my own backbenchers said to me "This
absurd love of the theatre you fake." Fake? Fake? "Of course." he said.
"You can't hope to understand Shakespeare when you don't have the
tools." (Hare 1 14)

Summoning the big guns. Malcolm tries to convince George.
"Everyone respects you. Everyone likes you. No-one will ever deny you've
got guts. But finally. people don't follow you. Because they know you
can't cut It." (Hare 116)

The final blow. however. is Malcolm's assertion that the Labour Party
has carried George to his present position. "This party. ofwhlch today you
seem to be so contemptuous...the people you think are self-obsessed
and absurd...these very people still love you. even while they despair of
you. They said George deserves this...He deserves one more shot at this
thing." In an obvious reference to Margaret Thatcher's premature
departure from office. Malcolm adds. "It you ask me why I would say our
reasons were honourable. The Tories get rid of their Leaders when It's
clear they might not win. But we hold on to ours. I call that decency."
(Hare 1 19) His ego severely bruised. George attempts a gesture of
reconciliation but Is brushed off by Malcolm who Insists he will tow the line
from that point onward. talking up George's leadership and not creating

Cl TOW.

George's reputed power as an orator. his natural charisma with
audiences. Is finally addressed and put to rest once and for all In the

scenes leading up to the play's finale. After George's clandestine

262

meeting with Malcolm the action moves to Election Party Headquarters
where Undsay. with Bryden's help. has secretly summoned all of the
Leader's staff except Oliver. His absence Is crucial to Lindsay's new
markefing strategy which runs counter to everything Oliver has been
preaching. Breaking with the Party's tradition of rehearsed speeches and
parroted dogma. she suggests they let George off the leash to dazzle the
crowd at a Manchester rally.

Andrew protests both the Idea and the exclusion of Oliver but
Bryden. the elected campaign chariman. overrides him. Lindsay argues
their present policy ls seif—defeafing. "The public aren't stupid," she
excialms. "They know he's been programmed. It's not hard to work out
why this man's ratings are low. The public see only one thing when they
look at him, and that's slx rolls of sficky tape wrapped round his
mouth...What's wrong wtih us? Are we really so cynical...are we so
arrogant, that we truly Imagine the pubic can't tell? The strategy"s
ridiculous. Keep George in a box. And meanwhile try to out-Tory the
Tories." (Hare 128)

Between Lindsay and Bryden they push all the right buttons. She
encourages him to let out "the George we once knew." and Bryden
Inspires him by showing him a volume of all the speeches he gave before
he was leader—before he even began wrifing them down. "My
father...my own father taught me." George recalls. "He said to me: speak.
just speak from the heart...WIthout notes. that's right. On the backs of
envelopes. Like a Quaker. I simply stood up...And when I stood up, the
words always come. And then people said to me, now you're the

Leader. everything you say must be written down." (Hare 130)

263

The temptation to return to the glory of his yesterdays Is too great
and George succumbs. At the Manchester Rally the audience sees the
platform from a forward perspecfive. The huge letters suspended above
the Leader's head proudly proclaim. "IT'S YOUR LABOUR PARTY." and an
enormous video screen flashes George's every word and move to the far
reaches of the arena.

His speech starts out strong, with firm resolve and a respectable
verbal flair. He thunders. "It Is said to me: there Is no longer hope In our
future. No sense of potential. No sense of possibility. In our own lifetime a
whole generation has been effectively abandoned and dispossessed.
They have been told to fend for themselves. Comrades. my socialism Is
the socialism that says these people must not be let go!" (Hare 133) It Is
not long. though. before his eloquence mysteriously fails him. He falters.
trying to find the right words to explain what he feels. Finally he must
resort to the speech Andrew wrote for him, safely tucked in his pocket.

Backstage. after his appearance. George Is pure frustration.
Trembling. he reaches for a scotch and a cigarette and Ignores pleas
from his staff to get ready to meet the mayor and the public of
Manchester. What began as a seemingly minor problemto base a
character and. indeed. a play on. has now become a major thematic

Issue. In one of the play's most Important speeches George rants:

There's nothing you can say...You're not allowed to say
anything. How can I say what I feet In my heart? All those
hours In hotel rooms working at speeches. drafting. re-
drafting. polishing. changing every word and all you're doing
Is covering up for what's really gone wrong...l got up there. I
thought all the things I truly care about...Northern Ireland.
What can you say? You can't say anything. Not publicly.
The whole bloody country's been bleeding for years...lt's

264

been dying and we can't speak, we can't say anything.
you're not allowed to say anything...l thought. you know. out
there I was thinking. Northern Ireland. it's "above politics."
That's what we say. Well what sort of politics is it which says
that certain things are too important to be spoken of? So
what are we left with? All the other stuff Is a game. We can‘t
speak of history. you can't say Britain happens to be trapped
In historical decline. You can't even say that. But it's
true...Defense! Abandoning nuclear weapons. which
everyone knows we should do. I could make a great speech
about that. My god! If only I could! But of course if i say It.
that's fifty thousand jobs.

He confinues. touching on the economy. Germans. the Welsh. and even
the royal family, finally concluding by asking. "Why can't I speak of what I
believe?" (Hare 137-140)

While all along it seemed George's charismatic Impotence was just
a personality quirk. perhaps one shared by Neil KInnock. his supposed
model. It now appears that it Is a metaphor for the stifling effect
government, the press. and the campaigning system have on real
feelings and potential progress. Hare's chief complaint. and one shared
by American political pundits. Is about the homogeneity of government
thanks to a two or three party system that must pander to an increasingly
large. media-influenced public. Furthermore, the burden of blame rests
not just with the Tories, Labourltes. Uberal Democrats. or the Green Party.
The desire to win at all costs Is shared by all. as is the responsibility for the
result.

At the end of his tirade George Is finally snapped back Into line by
Gwenda. who scolds him Into straightening up and going to meet the
public. After he and the others leave. Andrew quietly admonishes

Undsay. "Thank you. Undsay. Now put him back In the box." (Hare 141)

265

The play ends. fittingly. where the campaign trail ends: late at
night in a hotel ballroom where the Labour Party has gathered to watch
the voting results. It Is a foregone conclusion. Oliver delivers the news to
George that. though the tally has not officially been reached. Labour is
far behind In the exit polls. All that Is left for the play Is to tie up a few
loose ends. .

In his first onstage conversation with his campaign lieutenant since
before the Manchester disaster. George attempts to patch things up with
Oliver. Initially recommending they put the whole thing behind them.
under pressure Oliver suggests they would have won If they had stuck to
the gameplan and it George had firmer resolve. "You should have seen
Malcolm six months ago," he fumes. "And If he wouldn't back you. If he
wouldn't come out for you hot. strong, and cheering. you should have
sacked him. You should have fixed him...l"ve heard you so often. In a
fifly-fifty you always say you could do It. You can pull the trigger. that's
what you say. But you can't. Let's face It. When It actually comes down
to it. you don't have the nerve." (Hare 145)

Ironically. this Is the same accusation Malcolm levelled at George
during their face-off In scene sixteen. This time. though. George has a
surprising reply. He tells Oliver he was thinking of the Party. "Malcolm Is
the next Leader this party will have." George says. "I had to hand him the
Party In good order." (Hare 146) When Oliver. Incredulous. calls his acfions
a weakness. George counters. "I believe In the Party. I'm not sentimental.
The Party Is not my whole life. But It's all we have. It's the only practical
instrument that exists In the country for changing peoples' lives for the

good." (Hare 147)

266

George's fealty to his party. his constituency. and his profession
suggest that In the end. despite his tragic errors in judgement. he still
deserves the audience's sympathy. He makes a decision. Hare seems to
suggest. that every politician should be expected to make. but one that is
seldom seen in real govenrment.

As Mary. Undsay. Gwenda. and Andrew Join the Leader to prepare
him for his concession speech. George briefly assumes a comlcal air. "You
know what I think?" he asks rhetorically. "I think let's all just be Tories. After
all. they always win. So whats the point of having other parties? Given
that they never get in? Whereas. you know. if we join the Tory Party, we
could do something. I'm beginning to think it's our best chance. Why
not? Let's join the Tory Party. And then let's all fuck it up." (Hare 152)

The epilogue to the play acours after a brief monologue scene by
newly re-elected Prime Minister Charles Kendrick. who praises his "worthy
opponent" George Jones as a "decent and honourable man.“ then
proceeds to tell the public that the economic dangers they forecast are
actually worse than they let on. but the Conservative Party will see them
through.

The last scene of the play takes place almost a year later. back at
the Cenotaph on Memorial Day. This time, however. as the three party
leaders lay their wreaths on the monument. Malcolm Pryce represents
Labour and it is George who addresses the audience. Somberly. recalling
Images of Uonel at the end of Raginggemgn asking if everything
amounts to loss. George ponders. "in the year since my own bruising
experience I have found myself asking a question which will always haunt

us and to which no easy answer appears. Is this history? Is everything

267

history? Could we have done more? Was it possible? And how shall we
know?" (Hare 154)

As the culmination of Hare's efforts. Waggon/[qr draws
effectively on its predecessors. continuing the production style trend set
by Wes while reaching back to Racingjlemgu for depth of
character and theme. its structure is sound. following the lone character
of George Jones and his single action. the campaign for the Ministry. The
deficiencies in the play are largely the fault of Hare comingling too much
fact with fiction. or perhaps a perceived need on the audience‘s or
reader's part to sort reality from the world of the play.

The problem is not the same one he encountered in Murmuring
Judges when an abundance of statistics and dilution of plotline caused
the play to veer off toward docudrama. As has been noted, the
problems faced by the Labour Party in W are quite real
in the world of the play and handled with the same dramatic élan as the
crises that plague the vicars in gamma. Rather. because the
events he portrays are so jarringly familiar to most of Britain and much of
the world beyond. they occasionally distract from the enjoyment of what
is essentially a work of creative fiction.

Thus. a few nagging questions are left at the end of the play. ls
George Jones a direct knock-off of Neil KInnock? if so. what message is
the audience meant to receive? Does the play laud KInnock and the
Labour Party. or attempt to shame it and change it from within? If it is
truly affective drama. do Tories sympathize with George at the curtain's
fall? Nearly every reviewer was quick to come up with some kind of

answer to these and other questions of veracity.

268

In The Times. Benedict Nightingale weighed in on the side of
creativity. "Research has been transmuted lnto what is a fiction plausible
enough to grip those of us who are not political insiders." he wrote, "and.
after a laborious introductory scene. lively enough to keep us gripped."
(Nightingale "Dogged Hare's Anatomy of Britain") John Mortimer in the
Sunday Express agreed. in a review titled "Left Rediscovers the Power to
Thrill." he asserted. "David Hare's play Is not that ghastly telly Invention. the
"drama-doc." It deals with a Labour leader who Is funnier. braver. tougher
and more original than the press or his own party will wallow him to
appear." (Mortimer 30)

Uke Momma: and Wes before it. IneAbsence
gm drew Its share of criticism from the people It claims to represent. in
the press. nearly all the major papers running reviews also published a
column by a politician or pundit remarking on the relative truthfulness and
fairness of the play. Often. these were some of Hare's biggest detractors.

Roy Hattersley. an aide to Neil Kinnock during the 1992 campaign.
wrote a lengthy article in the Evening Standard in which he provided
several examples of dialogue and actions that Hare allegedly "stole"
directly from Labour's back rooms and closets. Hattersley warns. "Some of
his (George Jones') outbursts may remind the audience of Neil Kinnock-
as Mr. Hare clearly Intends they should. But they are reflections from a
double distorting mirror. It is the Kinnock of the gossip columns. not the
Kinnock of real life. that they caricature." He complains further that the
people in Hare's play "abuse each other. They scream. they shout and
they weep. There is nobody in George Jones's retinue (with the possible
exception of his Special Branch detective) who I would trust to help run

the country." (Hattersley 9)

269

Meanwhile. in the Independent. Gerald Kaufman MP chose a
rather mean-spirited. nit-picking approach In which he attempted to
discredit Hare and his work by claiming the playwright meantto
reproduce what he saw. but erred egregiously. "No Labour leader would
waste a minute In unwinnable Kiddermlnster." Kaufman gripes. "Likewise
the real Shadow Chancellor would never need to complain that the
party leader spends too much time in the Commons tea-room with his
personal staff: MPs' staff are not allowed in. On the other hand. while
staff as well as MP3 are admitted to the Central Lobby (as indeed is
everybody), leading politicians would certainly not conduct private
discussions there." (Kaufman) Others took a more sensible approach. An
unattributed editorial In the Times Leader suggested "Hare is a playwright.
not a reporter. and playwrights tend to write drama. not recycle press
conferences."

The question of art imitating life aside. the play and its production
met with mainly favorable reviews. especially when viewed In the context
of the trilogy as a whole. After viewing all three plays in a single day

Nightingale. with his usual blend of subtle sarcasm and insight. remarked:

A mere marathon stretches for 26 miles and
takes a good runner two-odd hours to complete. The
Harathon is a much more daunting haul. On Saturday
it started at 10.30 am. ended at 10.30 pm, and
covered some knotty terrain. The morning was spent
crlss-crosslng parish churches. vicarages and a bishop's
palace. Then it was off to a prison, a copshop. and the
lawcourts for a long. gruelling afternoon. As for the
evening. that was the most challenging of all. The
House of Commons, Television Centre, the hustlngs in
Manchester. Labour Party headquarters in London: by
the time the Harathon was over, it seemed that half

270

Britain had been exhaustively and exhaustingly
traversed.

And so it had. Whatever the objections to David
Hare's trilogy. and they are not a few. its scope and
ambition are scarcely in doubt. Whatever the cavils
about Richard Eyre's productions of Racing Demon.
Murmuring Judges and the new Absence of War, they
are a collective credit to his theatre. Never has the
National justified its grandiose name more thoroughly.
The Hare-Eyre axis has In effect transformed the theatre
Into a forum where national institutions—the Church.
the Law. Her Majesty's Opposition—are belng
articulately examined. (Nightingale "Dogged Hare's
Anatomy of Britain")

The Financial Times" critic Malcolm Rutherford agreed; He wrote.
"David Hare and the Royal National Theatre go together. Without Hare.
the RNT would be hard put to find a contemporary British dramatist writing
about contemporary British subjects on an epic scale." He commented
on Hare's latest work. "On Saturday quitethe best of the three plays
looked to be Absence of War. eseclally in the second half. One suspects
that is becasue it is the most topical. dealing with a subject that people
still talk about." (Rutherford)

Rutherford was one of few critics who actually favored me
W over the rest of the trilogy. but stood in the solid majority
of those who found good and bad points in its construction. The ‘
Guardian's Michael Billington acknowledged. "Where better than the
National Theatre to discuss the state of the nation? We can all argue
over the merits and demerits of individual plays. But the David Hare trilogy
at the Ollvler not only offers a vigorous. bracing. provocative portrait of
modern Britain. but also a coherent vision: Hare pins down. with mordant
wit. the institutional clubblness. the increasing reliance on PR. the sclerotic

ancestor-worship. the decay of any core belief that he sees as symptoms

27]

of our current malaise." He said W is "undeniably
enjoyable and contains plentiful examples of Hare's bilious wit...But the
difficulty with the play Is that it is both too journalistic and yet not
journalistic enough. By that I mean. it is hemmed in by recent history and
yet shirks many of the key Issues: what. for instance. is the precise role of
the British Labour Party In a rapidly changing world where socialism is in
retreat?" (Billington "Labour's Hare Shirt")

No matter what the tenor of the reviews from the major critics. to a
writer they applauded Hare's efforts in conjuction with Richard Eyre and
the National Theatre to create a dramatic project unparallelled in the
pantheon of modern English writers. The final product, the Hare Trilogy.
represents a culmination of experience and refinement of technique that
catipuited the playwright from the unknown edges of the Fringe to a

position as one of England's foremost dramatists and filmmakers.

272

CONCLUSION

The purpose of this dissertation has been to explore the evolution of
David Hare's theatrical work, concentrating on his produced plays from
1979-93, and to arrive at some understanding of his success as a
"playwright of popular dissent" in Britain. An important factor in his early
development was his association with England's theatrical avant-garde.
and his most valuable career asset in recent years has been his
relationship with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain.

As one of the founders of the rebellious Fringe Theatre movement in
the late T9605 and '705. Hare shares communal roots with Edward Bond.
Howard Brenton. Trevor Griffiths, Christopher Hampton. Howard Barker.
Stephen Poiiakoff and a host of other anti-establishment artists. This group
holds similar political beliefs--strong Leftist support for the working poor. a
disdain for affluence. and a hatred for England's class system. In their
earliestworks they also exercised comparable dramatic techniques and
writing stylesnepic structure. a Marxist sense of history. thin plots with
strong, didactic themes. and a tendency toward shocking scenes of
absurd behavior or violence.

From his first few unpublished plays with the Portable Theatre ("How
Brophy Made Good". "Lay By"). through his maiden Fringe Theatre
productions (Slag. IDQQLQQLEXDIDIIIQQ. Knuckle. W. 3205020.
Wiles). Hare displayed artistic ability and popular appeal
analogous to his confederates producing plays off the beaten path. In
1978, however. Elem marked a change of course for the playwright as
he began his artistic association with the Royal National Theatre. This

connection with such a popular. subsidized theatre immediately

273

distinguished him from most Fringers, whose work has never been seen at
the RNT or on a West End stage. and even from more popular dlSsidents
like Brenton. Griffiths, and Bond. who only occasionally surfaced In
London's more prominent venues.

Hare had transcended sweeping dramatized dogma and found a
way to interest audiences In a microcosm of British lives. In Elem. Susan
Traherne's dejection at the compromised lifestyle of Britons following the
Second World War mirrored an entire generation's disillusionment with
post-war prosperity. Moreover. she was the first full embodiment of the
Hare heroine—a unique. Intelligent. sympathetic character with a full
range of emotions and experiences: one that audiences may pity. yet still
criticize for her actions. She provided a rough model for several important
characters that followed: Peggy Whltton Meme). Sophia
Yeplleva (TheBeLQLNLce). lsobel Glass (IbeSeeLeLReQmLe). Irina Platt
(Mumurjngfldges) and perhaps a few others.

Still. Hare's politically and socially conscious edge was not dulled by
mainstream popularity. The election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime
Minister in 1979 provided ample material for Liberal-minded writers across
Great Britain. While initial response from extreme leftists was predictably
severe (e.g. Howard Brenton and Tony Howard's 1980 polemic 12mm
B11901 a.k.a. W. Hare's delayed response was a more
carefully crafted satire of the Fleet Street press. his 1985 collaboration with
Brenton, ELQALQQ. The playwright pursued his critique of contemporary
society with the subtle inferences of IbefiqLQLNjee and We
set Thatcherlte Britain on its ear with the damning resonances of The

SeeLeLReere. then mounted the most ambitious modern dramatic

274

examination of social institutions in Britain: The Hare Trilogy (Reeling
Remap. Murmuringsiudges. and W.

In the final analysis. Hare's popularity with mainstream audiences
despite the sometimes pessimistic. anti-establishment messages he seems
to send. may be attributed to several factors: Uke other masters of social
"problem plays" (e.g. Ibsen and Shaw) Hare Is able to intimate a groupof
people. a government. a country. or the world-at-large using only a few
unique. articulate, and empathetic characters. This simplifies plots.
streamlines production styles. and focuses audience attention on the
meaning of his plays. Furthermore. while his opinion on a given topic may
be extremely different from Britain's voting majority. he has learned the
Shavian art of weighing Ideas and providing strong arguments for his
protagonists and antagonists alike. thus providing a lively. albeit
prearranged. forum for his plays' themes rather than the mud-slinging.
polemlcai approach favored by other Leftist playwrights.

An added bonus Is the subject matter of Hare's plays. He has
developed a knack for finding issues and milieus that appeal to his
audiences' concerns. The national soul-searching of Elegy, the behind-
the-scenes look at the sensationalized world of the yellow press In Bram.
the near-soap operatic greed and cynicism of W. and
his tour de force examination of the Church. Law. and Government in
Badmafleman. Murmuringiudaes. and IbeAbsengengLqr all draw the
theatre-going public in fora closer look at hot topics rendered into art.
Finally, Hare creates intelligentyet accessible plays. While his characters
are mostly successful professionals of one kind or another. often educated
and always opinionated. and his dialogue is infused with literary

references. allegory, and symbolism. he is careful not to slip into pedantry.

275

He is ever mindful that an audience can not respond to something it
doesn't understand.

Without sacrificing political Ideals or artistic vision. Hare has
managed to forge a career as one of England's premiere playwrights.
Profiling the dramatist on the opening day of the Hare Trilogy. The
Observer noted. "We no longer produce world-class moralists. But any
twenty-first-century historian looking for the most representative
Englishman of the generation alienated by the Left's failure since the
19605 will surely include the playwright David Hare among the finalists."
("Moralist of the Establishment") Truly. In a rather unique way, this artist
with childhood roots in the High Church and Cambridge. and professional
beginnings as a voice of conscience for the radical Left. has managed to
ensconce himself In the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain as a
representative of the people. as Britain's one and only playwright of

popular dissent.

276

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288

 

 

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