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Waste at The Almeida
Directed by the admirable actor Samuel West, Harley Granville Barker’s Waste, who brought us The Voysey Inheritance, is a political 20th century play that was originally banned by the censors in 1907.
The Edwardian playwright deals with both adultery and abortion, making it a highly revealing and enlightening political drama and there is little wonder that it has managed to hold its own against the scrutiny of a modern day audience.
Will Keen plays Trebell as a career hungry, detached figure and it is only at the end, when his conscience fully comes into play, that we begin to warm to him. It is here that we see a potent figure who could have been political dynamite. Other commendable acting came from Peter Eyre’s Lord Charles Cantilupe and Hugh Ross’s Cyril Horsham who both manage to bring life into the roles of ageing Tory politicians.
Yet, while Peter Hall argues it is the greatest political play since Shakespeare, it is a piece that requires an audience to listen carefully and to give it a bit of time to develop. Its central message, that of the inevitable compromises between ambition and conscience in political life, is still as relevant as ever. However, while I sometimes found it difficult to emotionally engage with Granville Barker’s portrait of political life, this production is still subtle and richly played.
To 15 November (020-7359 4404)
