Review: WHEN WINSTON WENT TO WAR WITH THE WIRELESS, Donmar Warehouse

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Jack Thorne’s latest play is staggeringly timely. Set during the 1926 General Strike, When Winston Went To War With The Wireless focuses on the fraught relationship between the newly formed British Broadcasting Company and the Conservative government to posit a study on the importance of the media and the clashing of politics and the press that will probably feel eerily familiar.

For the most part, Jack Thorne’s play is a densely-packed historical documentary drama, occasionally bogged down by laboured exposition. Kitty Archer confidently doubles in her role as BBC employee Isabel Shields and historical guide, although this is not carried throughout the play as a consistent framing device and results in a slightly stalling narrative. There are featured cameos and excerpts from prominent early BBC programmes and figures, such as Woman’s Hour and Sandy Powell, which are more effective at grounding the cultural context of the piece than the clunky exposition folded into the dialogue.

Despite the namecheck in the title, Winston Churchill is not the central focus of this production. The story emphasises the character and influence of John Reith (Stephen Campbell Moore), the first general manager of the BBC and a man crippled by warring internal demons – his profound religiosity, his latent homosexuality, his duty as a broadcaster and the conflicting pressures of the government. Stephen Campbell Moore gives a squirming and knotty performance as the afflicted Reith, balanced by Adrian Scarborough’s weighty embodiment of Winston Churchill. Scarborough is sensational as the often-parodied former PM and manages to steer satisfyingly away from grotesque impersonation.

John Reith’s homosexual relationship, realised with remarkable and tender chemistry by Campbell Moore and Luke Newberry, is a matter of conjecture and rumour by Reith’s biographer. Although queer stories, particularly those under-explored and relegated to the murky shadows of history, are keenly important (particularly in the month of June!), it feels like this additional layer of anxiety is perhaps one too many for the visibly burdened and burnt-out Reith.

Thorne’s play is so rich and wide reaching and, even at a solid run time of two and a half hours, struggles to pack in all the complexities of the TUC’s case, the structure and content of the BBC, the international threat of communism and the Bolshevik revolutions in the newly-formed USSR, the post-war economy crippled by the reintroduction of the gold standard and the outsourcing of coal production to international markets. If we hadn’t had time prior to the production to flick through the timeline in the programme, we might have struggled through this production.

No context is needed, however, for Shubham Saraf’s powerful monologue on the importance of media integrity and the freedom of the press. Saraf’s resolute and impassioned performance as Chief Engineer Peter Eckersley is a steering force in this production and brings an assured and confident energy that tempers the erratic uncertainty that radiates from Campbell Moore’s anxiety-ridden Reith.

Nevertheless, Katy Rudd’s direction is fluid and sparky, capturing the frenetic energy and electric pace of the recording studio and the relentless edge of political office. Perhaps due to the sluggishness of the heat-stricken audience, perhaps due to the fact this was only the second performance of this production, there was something lacking in the energy of this show but the bones are something beautiful.

The stand-out star of the show is Laura Hopkins’ design, complete with a staggered wall of foley equipment across the rear of the stage. Sound designers Ben and Max Ringham form a formidable coalition with foley consultant Tom Espiner to create a rich world of sound that is unmatched in any other production we have seen (or rather heard).

A fascinating, funny and shockingly relevant historical snapshot – audiences can learn a lot from When Winston Went To War With The Wireless, which balances warm affection and bitter critique of Britain during the inter-war years.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett

When Winston Went To War With The Wireless plays at the Donmar Warehouse until 29 July, with further information here.