I watched a play Bloody Difficult Women by theatre critic and journalist turned playwright, Tim Walker. Confidently directed by Steven Unwin, the plot is a dramatisation of real events, although the dialogue and situations are imaginary and certain characters are fictitious. That said, having known Gina for many years, I recognised some of the conversations and it is a production I believe teenagers interested in politics, media studies and behavioural science in particular should go see, because this play teaches more about the nuance of male/female dynamics and the politics/media dynamic than many stage plays and films headlining their remit to do so.
On one level, BDW is a political play about a seminal time in history when close attention to detail and knowledge of the law, as well as the tenacity and courage allowed one woman - and it was just one woman - to hold a British government accountable for its actions. It is also a play about how the tabloid media - in particular The Daily Mail - chose to re-allign the narrative of those actions.
On another level it is a play about the systemic misogyny in British media and politics which is so engrained into psyche the only way to approach and access the dangerous implications of this behaviour is through humour. There is more truth in Yes Minister and Have I Got News For You than any straight news reporting, and I sense there is more truth in this play than anyone, least of all Tim Walker, would wish to admit. The play reminded the audience how media headlines during this time incited violence and triggered fear, rather than developed perspective and educated the populace of what was actually happening and how it would impact on their every day lives.
For despite the play being about two strong women, one of whom took on a government and won, the other who took on a punch (I miss-typed and meant bunch, but looking at the context now, punch will do just as well) of men for Prime Minister and won, the dominant and loudest character of this play is the editor of the Daily Mail Paul Dacre, who like some maniacal puppet master attempts to abuse and manipulate the female protagonists, although, to be fair, he does also appear to hurl substantial abuse at his own male staff, snarling at them with disdain when they don't know, for example, who Marianne Faithful is. At least if the minions answer back, all they lose is their job (or job in journalism at a push), while Theresa had the threat of losing her PMship and Gina, her life.
The audience laughed as Andrew Woodall who played Dacre's wired mannerisms to a tee, took over the stage. Constantly rubbing his head while man-sprawling when not pacing, while spitting out a breathless and visceral scatter-gun tirade of potty mouth abuse that would shock even an FX Trader, he reminded me of the fiercely troubled character Ben Kingsley played in the film Sexy Beast. Dacre's expletives became so prolific and violent, crescendoing when he wanted to headline Supreme Court judges as 'Bastards', instead of 'Enemies of the People', which years later has still not lost bite as a grossly irresponsible headline, reminding the audience of how this media attempted to trigger rage not perspective.
Dacre became a comedic character, offering Theresa May birthday cake and party but only on a day when he could make it, not on the day which was actually her birthday, and May taking the cake, almost dropping it in the process perhaps feeling it might be poisoned. On another occasion he ordered a minion to find any and all dirt on Gina Miller's past, because 'everyone has one', although ironically what he discovered about Gina Miller added to her humanity and connection to those around her, rather than detracted from it. The humour in his character and indeed the play, belied the strategically malevolent long and short term implications of the Daily Mail media strategies at the time, which could have led people to kill people.
If it had not been for the measured presence of Alan Miller, Gina's husband, who at one point admitted he missed the intelligent and quick witted banter of City life, where at least the drive is merely to make more money, rather than the darker and messier drive to gain more power, the male of the species in this play would not have faired well. All men on stage, with this exception, were shown as weak, malleable, disenchanted and pathetic. Alan's character alone proved it takes a strong man to support a strong woman - and that there are perilously few strong men at the top of the pile in media or politics.
Bloody Difficult Women is on at the Riverside Studios until 26th March
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