Writers: Dario Fo and Franca Rame
Translator: Ed Emery
Director: Gerrie Skeens
There can’t be a much more disastrous case of mistaken identity than when you are receiving complete reconstructive facial surgery after having been disfigured beyond recognition in a botched terrorist kidnapping. It is this contemporary twist on the most classic comedy device in farce that forms the basis of Dario Fo’s 1981 satire, translated by Ed Emery as Trumpets and Raspberries and revived at Barons Court Theatre by Wayward Theatre Productions.
Most viewers will know Italian Nobel-prize-winner Fo for his earlier play, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, which has stood the test of time so well as to have only just finished a much-lauded run down the road at the Lyric Hammersmith. It is exciting to be given the opportunity to watch one of Fo’s better-known but infrequently performed plays.
Unfortunately, it very quickly becomes obvious why this play has had less success outside of Italy. There are memorable moments of comic genius, particularly the scene where Antonio is force-fed through his nose a sausage that has been minced by an elaborate piece of headgear. The concept of workingman Antonio being confused with his employer, the real-life head of Fiat, also has huge potential for an attack on capitalism, and in this production, Alex Hayden J Smith succeeds in creating two sharply defined contrasting identities for the two men as well as injecting into the production the considerable energy that a Fo farce requires.
The problems come with the length of the play, which at two hours 20 minutes overstays its welcome by the 45-minute final scene clumsily tagged on to the end of the script – the force-feeding of the previous scene is so hilarious it should have led directly into the resolution of the identity confusion. There are obvious places where cuts could have been made to help maintain the pace.
Also problematic is that the politics of the play are only superficially applicable to contemporary Britain, while references to the likes of Aldo Moro are obscure, which causes interest to fade between the moments of high comedy. These moments are, however, generally well-handled, although there is some bungling with the complex props the play demands – the play perhaps demands a greater budget than was available for its more physical jokes to work.
This leaves the production at its strongest with its lead performances, particularly that of Hannah Dormor, who shows such polished confidence and skill with comedy in her role as Rosa that it is difficult to believe she is still training. Ian Crosson’s take on the Doctor may embrace German stereotypes but handles the farce with discipline and carries the opening act of the play. Simon Allder as the unfortunate Examining Magistrate also shows himself to be a fine comic actor. However, flaws in both script and production ultimately leave the audience exhausted rather than exiting on a high.
Runs until 6 May 2023
