Superpatriots and Morons

Published Tuesday 28 August 2007 at 17:35 by William McEvoy

Banned in Zimbabwe, where it is set, this play deals with the grassroots insurrection of the people against a vicious, megalomaniac dictator. It traces the simple story of how the populace, starved of food and violently intimidated by the government, starts a revolution from the bottom up.

While its ambitions are laudable, and its analysis of the oppressive nature of power is insightful, the play is let down by the production which feels under-rehearsed and slapdash. The actors are often scarcely audible, even in this small venue, and the movement across the playing space feels random and undisciplined.

Most of the performers speak their lines to the audience, rather than to each other. Rather than being an alienating device, this appears a little amateurish, preventing you being drawn into the story from the start.

There are moments when the play catches fire, especially in the scenes between the Idi Amin-like dictator and a young pregnant demonstrator, but overall the passion and evident conviction behind the piece of writing are betrayed by a substandard set of performances.