Rufus Love stars in his own-written one-man show dealing with the clashing ideas of London’s most historical debating spot. Guillermo Nazara shares his thoughts on this production hosted by the Hope Theatre, to share his thoughts on a play where thinking is all that matters.
Words are more powerful than weapons… Especially when articulated by the wrong mouths. Fanaticism is not a nowadays problem. We’ve been coping with it probably since the inception of belief itself. And just as with mostly everything in this world, for something to exist, there ought to be room for its counterpart. Good needs evil just as reason needs the illogical. And despite this trait being indelible to our ever-going reality, never before has radicalism being as strong as it is right now when it comes to the possibilities of spreading around.
Speaker’s Corner derives from an interesting, highly appealing premise with extreme potential. Using its performer-playwright Rufus Love as judge, defendant and executioner, we are invited to a satirical showcase of clashing ideologies that’s supposed to bring out both the points and hypocrisies of different people’s convictions. Sadly, the promise is never much fulfilled, as the critical analysis one is hoping for gets replaced by a mere depiction of ‘political oddities’ – eventually, failing to provide us with the stimulating debate we wish to witness.
Despite the obvious care the writer has put into it, the overall feel when watching the piece is that of an incomplete work – on many levels needing a major rework or a full revision, not only in its delivery but also regarding what it stands for. The narrative suffers from a constant lack of evolution, as the same concept gets repeated over and over again without allowing neither the character or plot to move anywhere. A similar problem affects the work’s own message: despite its prologue suggesting a more objective observation of anyone’s creeds, the play rapidly takes a well-defined stand – inevitable leading us to see it as a betrayal of its own principles.
On some moments, Rufus Love manages to give a compelling performance, often exuding confidence onstage with some dashes of proximity and genuineness. But unfortunately, the material does not allow for much more than a few scattered laughs, as well as an overall sense of disappointment from what could have been an incredibly thought-provoking show. The possibilities of making this work shine are still there. But for that to happen, they still need to dig up many layers of flatness.
Speaker’s Corner concluded its run at the Hope Theatre last 27 May.