Chronicling the 1960s and 70s in the North East of England, London and what was to become Zimbabwe, Our Friends in the North charts the devastating defeat of left wing aspirations in the face of political and personal corruption. The story is predominantly told through the experiences of Tosker, Mary, Geordie and Nicky, four young people from Newcastle whose lives take very different paths. Actors Tony Neilson and Tracey Wilkinson, who appeared in the 1990s TV series provide a nice link between the two productions.
With 14 actors playing 43 characters across 17 years, Director Erica Whyman’s ambitions were certainly epic. The play has been rewritten, with one of the characters stepping out of his role to provide a commentary on events at the start and finish of the production. That it begins in the 60s and ends in 1979 – when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister – is symbolic of the erosion of socialist ideals. This is a play where the actions of those in power infiltrate and impact upon the individual, leaving the working classes most vulnerable - embodied through the naïve, put upon Geordie. The corrupt actions of local builders and MPs eventually filters through to characters like Tosker and Mary, who - after suffering the squalid conditions of the initially celebrated 'cities in the sky' - stoop to the same levels of bribery to ensure they can bring their child up in a suitable home. The death of Felix at the end of the play is enormously symbolic; socialist principles fall by the wayside and the working class Tosker criticises ‘greedy’ trade unions at Felix’s funeral. The self-seeking attitude he adopts would characterise the decade to follow.
The subplot involving the Rhodesian Bush War also illustrates how political idealism can warp. Joseph is a ‘Rhodesian’ who, treated like an animal by white employers, becomes an extremist. Clever use of lighting and improvisation of a realist-cum-minimal set design distinguishes England from Zimbabwe very evocatively and the subtext about the UK’s complicated involvement in Rhodesia bears no small resemblance to that involving the UK and Afghanistan.
The play’s highlights were the scenes in Zimbabwe and the struggle between moralistic cop Roy Johnson and the wholesale corruption within the Metropolitan Police. All actors in these scenes gave powerful performances; Paul McLeary was particularly excellent as Roy Johnson. I must also mention Neil Phillips, who, as Donoghue, gave a nuanced and mannered performance, capturing a complex man as flawed as he was appealing. However, despite an extremely impressive performance in the second Act, Craig Conway’s Geordie was a little off the mark – he seemed to play the character's naivety as mental deficiency in the first half, which undermined the power of Geordie’s character change by the end. There seemed a lack of subtlety to this eventual volte-face, which was a shame given that his portrayal in the finale of a man propelled by righteous indignation was excellent. There were also some rather dreadful stabs at South African accents which I will not go into..!
On the whole this play was a thought-provoking and timely assessment of political ideals and the individual and an incredible showcase of many of the actors’ talents. There was a warm humour and grace to many of the performances which helped each character seem like more than a vehicle for the themes the writers wanted to portray. I highly recommend this epic, Shakespearean tale.