7 – 8 February
Why don’t people talk about the dangerous prospect of nuclear war any more? When I was becoming politically aware in the 1970s and 80s, it was a red hot issue. CND rallies, constant reminders of how many warheads were being stockpiled and the growing intensity of the Cold War, all prompted attention towards a looming Armageddon. China Plate Theatre’s A Family Business is intended to address this.
Chris Thorpe greets members of the audience as they enter the auditorium and tells us he is obsessed with the issue. He also says that people just like us make decisions about nuclear weapons and that some of them are working to eradicate them from the world. He has met and spoken to some of these people.
I learned little during the ensuing 105 minutes, but for the first time did become aware of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This seeks to outlaw all nuclear weapons, and the performance directed by Claire O’Reilly centres around arguments to ensure that enough states ratify the treaty so that it becomes part of international law.
So far, so good, and what starts out resembling a TED talk then begins to deploy an element of theatricality to tell the story. However, despite the excellent portrayal of three members of the global nuclear debate by actors Andrea Quirbach as the real-life campaigner Veronique Christory, Efé Agwele as an African delegate Layla and Greg Barnett as an American power broker, the theatre constantly takes a back seat. One problem lies in the dialogue itself, which borders on the asinine. A series of sketches with often banal discussions are intended to illuminate how power operates. These are liberally peppered with profanities. Thorpe himself is very keen on using these as well, and his persistent use of the F word detracts rather than illuminates his argument. ‘Too f…ing much’, as he might say.
The set looks interesting, with a raised plinth stage around which are plugged an array of electronic wiring, but it only really gets used when displaying a jumble of suspended cabling, and for providing a platform for a screen on which clips from You Tube are shown via a laptop.
For many in the audience, the existence and devastating power of the worldwide nuclear arsenal may have come as a surprise, and the use of a website called ‘NukeMap’, a nuclear weapons effects simulator, was effective. The argument presented, that nuclear weapons and mass destruction are bad and peace good, was about as far as we got. Some gratuitous semi nakedness of one character was oddly placed, and perhaps intended to shock, but it didn’t contribute anything else.
As a polemic or angry performance piece, A Family Business is fine, but as a piece for theatre, it is disappointing.
★★☆☆☆ Bryan J Mason 8 February 2024
Photo credit: Andreas J Etter
