Review: Pacifists and Protesters, Redgrave Theatre

The Gloucester Theatre Company’s Pacifists and Protesters is a double bill, consisting of Alexander J. Gifford’s new play A Dangerous Woman and a short devised verbatim ‘epilogue’ that presents the words of poets and other dissidents. The two pieces are linked by themes of conscientious objection and trauma in the First World War, aiming to create a compelling political picture of anti-war voices from the period.

A Dangerous Woman tells the real life story of Alice Wheeldon, potty-mouthed mother of three children and virulent anti-war campaigner, who in 1917 was wrongfully convicted of attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Lloyd George. The tale itself is gripping and fascinating, with a large cast of characters, and is a novel and rarely trodden section of First World War history. It certainly stands out amidst the hundredth-anniversary plethora of tales from the front.

Gifford’s adaptation of the story excels in bringing the dramatics of Wheeldon’s trial to the stage, even as he stumbles in making the events surrounding the trial quite as coherent. The opening few scenes that depict Wheeldon’s home life don’t have quite the same momentum, and the different locations and character confessionals give the first half hour an erratic pace before it hits its stride. Likewise, the play’s final moments rush through the impact of Wheeldon’s time spent in prison, omitting some of the more interesting non-fictional details in favour of less interesting sub-plots.

When the entire cast assembled on stage for the public trial portion, though, the show instantly acquired a greater gravitas. The pitting of a working-class family against a relentless government, represented in the play by the attorney general, creates a terrific conflict, buoyed by brilliant performances from Penelope Wildgoose and Matthew Duckett. Though at times the political agenda of the play can override the emotional engagement, the parallels drawn between one hundred years ago and today are impressive and pertinent. Wheeldon’s struggle has a definite familiarity.

That said, the omnipresence of socialist ideology and anti-war convictions make A Dangerous Woman a hard sell for those who may be inclined elsewhere politically, but the show’s firm adoption of such a stance could well still be seen as commendable. The play’s implication that Wheeldon was in prison for much longer than she was in real life is slightly more dubious however, and its portrayal of domestic violence a little unsettling. When Wheeldon’s abusive husband returns home to forgiveness and acceptance from all, it feels like a rather abrupt shift from a narrative previously defined by empowerment.

The play is followed by a 20-minute devised piece, a self-professed ‘epilogue’ to the themes of A Dangerous Woman. Many of the same cast return to perform some strong physical theatre and deliver wonderful readings of insightful interesting writings by dissenting voices. Though the movement is sometimes rather on the nose and literal, it still feels very much like a suitable capper to the evening, one that re-iterates many of the same significant themes.

Overall, Pacifists and Protesters is a bold and interesting production from a company who aren’t afraid to create pieces about political ideas. Even as A Dangerous Woman has a few rough edges and runs slightly long, it tells an important relevant tale of a woman who certainly isn’t as remembered as she should be.

Pacifists and Protesters continues at the Redgrave Theatre until Wednesday, Feb 14. For more info, visit redgravetheatre.com/event/2018/02/pacifists-and-protesters/256 and www.thegloucestertheatrecompany.co.uk

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