Review: The Banality of Evil, The Cube – ‘Brilliantly written and performed’

It was a windy and wet night as I took myself down to The Cube to watch The Banality Of Evil, the latest production from Worms Theatre Company. I’ll admit I’d never actually been to the venue before so I was unsure what to expect, but I was greeted by a nearly full house for the second night of the three-evening run.

But before we get into the performance, what is the banality of evil? Hannah Arendt, who fled Germany during Hitler’s rise to power, wrote a 1963 book titled Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil that focused on her reporting of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the instigators of the Holocaust.

The phrase refers to how some of society’s big transgressions are not performed out of malice but are just accepted as the norm and dismissed because of it.

Worms’ The Banality of Evil is not just one play, but a series of short plays that each tackle the concept in different ways, focusing on how the normal, well-balanced individual can actually become wicked if they conform to some of the senseless ways in which our society is run.

It is presented almost as a manifesto of ideas, covering everything from climate change or giving your money to a corrupt bank, to meat consumption, and the way in which how powerful figures are often never questioned but seen instead as fountains of truth – each wrapped up in an often hilarious but thought-provoking package.

Every snippet takes big ideas that in the wrong hands could seem preachy and awkward, but are here executed perfectly with precise writing and powerful performances.

I thought it was a wise choice to make the delivery so full of humour; while sharing strong opinions and a frankly terrifying level of confusion, there is always a punchline beforehand to soften the blow and keep us engaged.

The performances of the four ensemble members turn the lofty concepts into easy-to-digest vignettes, with special praise going to Laura Ollerton’s ability to switch between accent and character with ease and what seems like little effort.

Another shout-out goes to the titular monologue, performed by Rohan Chopra, which renders the audience into shocked silence and hysterical laughter even between sentences. A scathing critique of the meat industry, it demonstrates how we can be complicit in the murder of thousands of animals even without trying. This is a bold and ambitious take that could really turn an audience if not delivered well, but here, thankfully, it is pitch-perfect.

The balance between the short plays is well-executed, with more high-concept and typically funnier ideas delivered in the first half, moving into some more introspective pieces after the interval. However, the actors manage to keep it light during the second half, despite tackling topics a bit more directly.

Never going for the easy path, The Banality Of Evil is a brilliantly written and performed play that really makes a person think about the insanity that can rule over our everyday lives and question whether there is any way of escaping it.

The Banality of Evil is at The Cube on January 22-24 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.cubecinema.com.

All photos: Henry Kenyon

Read more: Worms Theatre sponsor young creatives from Felix Road Adventure Playground

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: