LIES HAVE BEEN TOLD. To 3 December.
London.
LIES HAVE BEEN TOLD
by Rod Beacham.
New End Theatre To 3 December 2005.
transferred to Trafalgar Studios (Studio 2) 10-28 January 2006.
Mon-Sat 8pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm.
Runs 1hr 45min One interval.
TICKETS: 0870 060 6632.
www.theambassadors.com/trafalgarstudios
Review: Timothy Ramsden 22 November.
Tragedy or not, the flaws are here for all to see.
First time I went this show was cancelled: the house was as empty as a Robert Maxwell pension fund. A pity, for this tale of Cap’n Bob is well-told, despite the problem of one-person shows, a single dominant voice presenting a controversial argument.
‘Cap’n Bob’, Private Eye’s Maxwell moniker, was apt. The World War II British Army captaincy was an honorary title for Lieutenant Ian Robert Maxwell. Philip York presents war service details with his back to the audience. Apt again, for a re-run names the several identities which brought Czech Jew Leiby Hoch to be Anglo-sounding Maxwell.
Master of the good idea and sheer nerve in pursuing it, Maxell had the frequent power-seeker’s ambition, to own a national newspaper. As the play opens he hurls obscenities at anyone calling about anything else than his Daily Herald buyout bid. On acquiring the Mirror his promise of editorial independence doesn’t survive one issue.
York indulges the bullying power-figure’s use of charm, eying up women in the audience, and cold rejection. Apparent kindness and hospitality create loyalty. As for borrowing money using the same security over again: easy, so long as you’re Robert Maxwell.
A Department of Trade and Industry declaration Maxwell was unfitted to run a public company never stopped buccaneering Bob, while his claim anti-semitism made the News of the World avoid him by selling cheap to Rupert Murdoch is intriguing.
Claims pile up. Emptying his workers’ pension fund was selfless servicing of bank interest (£3 million daily). Didn’t tycoon Maxwell understand how banks and interest rates work, or did he think he could charm them into his service too? The options for his drowning are visited: murder, suicide, accident, another way of saying no-one knows.
Nor is the main enigma solved: how much Maxwell fooled himself, lacked insight, or was simply a blustering liar. This remains a well-performed account of the life. If York pulls back on Maxwell’s full force, that’s necessary to maintain the relationship with an audience. It would be interesting to see such a character up against other views; meanwhile Lies lays out his fascination end-to-end.
Robert Maxwell: Philip York.
Director: Alan Dossor.
Designer: Michael Taylor.
Lighting: Tim Mascall.
Assistant director: Anne Aldred.
2005-11-26 09:58:31