A Fine Idea by Christina Bacon,The Arcola, Studio 2, Dalston, London | 04 July, 2026⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Photo credit: Ella Bryant

A Fine Idea

by Christina Bacon

The Arcola, Studio 2, Dalston, London | 04 July, 2026

⭐⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“Polemic rather than play.”

Christina Bacon has a lot she wants to say, some of which she says to considerable effect, and she is fortunate in her cast who rise to the challenge of multiple roles well. But she has not written a play, rather we get a dramatized polemic and in the nature of things some of that is going to be things one disagrees with while not being able to say so. Director Charles Westenra keeps the series of short scenes moving swiftly and Georgia Wilmot's set adapts itself equally swiftly to create the various locations in which the action takes place and the argument postulated which is how the rich nations exploit the poor ones while giving them aid – but at a price. Harry S Truman was needing something in his Presidential inauguration address in 1949. Ben Hardy, a State Department communications officer, had an idea and is persuaded by his wife to ask to pass it on. To his surprise he gets an invitation to meet Truman's speech writer and as this will be the first time the inaugural address is televised it needs to contain a big idea. Hardy provides it – international aid to developing countries. The pay off, of course, is America gets to control the new markets that open up. The story is told by his granddaughter Jo, played by Ella Bryant making an auspicious professional debut, who is being interviewed for a job with a development agency in Kenya. But in time she realises that the world is not necessarily a better place as a result and that people are being exploited by those who lead as well as those giving them the aid. There is a slightly odd interlude with Florence Nightingale in which she admits that what she did in the Crimea was to improve the conditions in the military hospitals so that men died in better surroundings – but amid the horrors of that war the public wanted good news and her actions provided it, which is, of course, what international aid does. Jo also has to confront the case of a Girl called Kayla, a Generation Z activist, played by Grace Salf, arrested by the Kenyan police who disappears, and nobody is interested. All this proceeds in a series of short scenes with the actors, particularly Georgina Rich and Kevin Trainer playing several roles. The trouble is that although some moments are very powerful – what happens to Kayla in hospital for instance is one – others are not, and one starts to lose interest in people who have not been created by the playwright other than as symbolic figures for the arguments she is making. But this is a work in progress, and one must hope other homes will be found for the versions yet to come. Ben Hardy was to die in an air crash and that is staged at the very end most effectively. The evening certainly ends with a bang.

Cast

Ella Bryant – Jo

Georgina Rich – Christine Hardy, Laura, Florence

Grace Salf – Kala

Kevin Trainer – Ben Hardy, Elio

Creatives

Director - Charlotte Westenra

Set Designer – Georgia Wilmot

Costume Designer – Emma Williams

Lighting Designer – Hardey Kemp

Sound Designer – Tom Smith

Vocal and Accent Coach – Gurkiran Kaur

Composer – Jonny Berliner

Movement – Kev McCurdy

Magician – John Bulleld