St Michael’s Players present ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’

Jordan Metcalfe (Detective Daisy), Daniel Rigby (The Maniac) and Tony Gardner (Superintendent Curry) in the Lyric’s 2023 production; Photograph Helen Murray

Still relevant after more than 50 years

From 30 September to 3 October, Chiswick community theatre group St Michael’s Players is staging a production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist. 

Dario Fo wrote it in 1970 as an enraged response to the fall of Giuseppe Pinelli, an anarchist railway worker, from the fourth-floor window of Milan’s police headquarters.

Police were interrogating him in response to an act of terrorism – the bombing of the National Agricultural Bank HQ at Piazza Fontana, Milan in December 1969, which killed 17 people and injured 88.

The play is set in the police interrogation office where the ‘anarchist’ died, and chaos unfolds as a ‘Maniac’ infiltrates a police station and poses as a judge.

When he wrote it, Italians were surprised the play was translated and produced outside Italy, but the abuse of power is a universal theme and tales of police corruption and brutality continue to resonate.

Simon Nye, who translated it for the Donmar Warehouses’ production in 2003, wrote:

‘In some respects, Accidental Death remains intensely Italian … But like all modern classics, Fo’s play has all sorts of contemporary resonances …

‘Dario Fo’s play exposes police corruption and brutality, the connivance of the media, the megalomania of the judiciary, class privilege, the absurdity of piecemeal social reform and the state’s tendency to promote subversion on the quiet for its own ends’.

When it was revived 20 years later at the Lyric in Hammersmith, the new adaptation by Tom Basden underlined why it was still relevant, with references to the Public Order Act and the murder of Sarah Everard by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.

READ ALSO: Accidental Death of an Anarchist – The Lyric, Hammersmith, review

St Michael’s Players in rehearsal

Rebecca Lee, directing Accidental Death of an Anarchist for St Michael’s Players, says she wants to “pay homage to the original meaning.

“When Dario Fo wrote it, he did it as a reaction against Italian Fascist politics, police corruption and the power of the state.”

This is Rebecca Lee’s directorial debut for St Michael’s Players. After “stumbling across the group online”, she has been heavily involved with the local community theatre group – from building panto sets to performing in some of their recent productions.

The Players are a long-standing amateur dramatic group in Chiswick. Set up in 1949, they practice and perform in St Michael’s Centre in Elmwood Road in Grove Park.

READ ALSO: St Michael’s Players present ‘Harvey’ to celebrate 75th birthday

They have “people of all levels of experience”, Rebecca told me, a mix of people who are retired and also people like Rebecca who are involved in productions alongside their day job. She urges anyone who wants to pursue a love of theatre to join, as it is a very supportive environment.

Many of the cast of the upcoming production are regular performers. Elizabeth Ollier, who will be playing the Superintendent, is “the Meryl Streep of Chiswick”, she said, and praised “the exceptional” David Burles and Arabella Harcourt-Cooze, who are married in real life, and are playing Inspector Bertozzo and Maria Feletti respectively.

Rebecca told us putting on the production has been “very collaborative” and they often ask around the community for help with costume, hair and stage management.

Speaking about opening night, Wednesday 30 September, Rebecca “is looking forward to the culmination of everything coming together”.

“For me it’s been about the rehearsals and the relationships I’ve built and the people who have helped me along the way.”

Tickets for Accidental Death of an Anarchist at St Michael’s Centre from 30 September to 3 October, can be bought for £12 (concession tickets are £10) from:

ticketsource.com