The accidental death of an anarchist is a play based solely around the prospect of proving wrongdoers wrong by giving them a taste of their own medicine, this is brilliantly done through the psychotic mind of the Maniac.
The six women cast is led by Rebecca Mahon as the Maniac, a left wing campaigner wishing to bring justice for an anarchist who a report states committed suicide, but there is doubt, so a second report is needed.
The play begins with Policewoman Bertozzo ' all swear-words and aggression ' changing a police report in order to cover up a suspected murder whilst fellow police officers Pissani , Constable, and Superintendent try to change the report to show their characters in a far more favourable light.
All of this is pushed further by the Maniac, who disguises herself first as a psychiatrist, then as a Judge, and finally as Captain Marcantonia Banzi Piccinni, in order to keep her true indentity secret.
Berotzzo knows the full history of the Maniac, having met her in two of her three disguises, but what is not known by any of the cast is that the Maniac has been secretly recording what the police officers have all been saying and doing. The presence of the journalist Feletti adds to the confusion, as she has some pertinent questions of her own about the Anarchist, and his accidental death.
The play makes points about police procedures, about the media and the part that it has within society, and about how trusting people can be. The play is comical, where some serious political points could have been made into a farce, with two different endings enabling the audience to make up their own minds.
The lighting throughout the play changes almost seamlessly with the mood, with darker, more vibrant colours signifying anger, lighter, softer colours signifying relaxed moods, and flashing colours to signify panic.
The set was laid out perfectly, to allow swift changes from room to room, without having to change the set at all was a...