The set of Accidental Death of an Anarchist. (Photo by Daniel Boud)

Fo realised that, as the actions on which the play is based receded in time and as it was performed in other countries, some of the political details would be lost. In the introduction to an English version he writes, ‘the English public … cannot feel the real, tragic, tangible atmosphere which the Italian public brought with them when they came to the performance. It can share this … by substituting for the violence practised by the powers in Italy … equally tragic and brutal facts from the recent history of England.’

 It is this relevance that Sarah Giles’s lightweight, facile, and occasionally amusing production misses out on completely. Although it is billed as an adaptation, Giles and Francis Greenslade’s version is pretty much a direct translation. Ironically, Fo’s script, which cries out for modification, is treated with misguided reverence – a respect that the Sydney Theatre Company no longer affords Anton Chekhov.

Part of the cast of Accidental Death of an Anarchist. (Photo by Daniel Boud)

Fo was always intent on breaking down the fourth wall between actors and audience and his performances were full of ad libs and direct address, but the Sydney Theatre Company stick rigidly to the script, as though they were playing a traditional Whitehall farce. This is a pity since the play has been cast from strength, and if these actors had been given freer rein, something of the play’s ultimate power might have come across.

As it is, Julie Forsyth’s none-too-bright Bertozzo and Bessie Holland’s thuggish Pisani have their moments, but there should be a threatening quality to the police. We need to feel that, underneath the humour, there is a real sense of brutality. Caroline Brazier holds her own as the Superintendent, but Amber McMahon is a disappointment as the Maniac. What Fo looked for in actors was what he called “souplesse”: ‘What distinguishes great actors from average actors is their ‘souplesse’ … They don’t show that they are exerting themselves. They make you forget they are acting.’ McMahon works very hard, as does the rest of the cast, but never dominates the proceedings as she should. This lack can be put down to Giles’s direction. Had McMahon been allowed to establish a rapport with the audience by ad libbing and directly addressing them with more than a couple of asides, the Maniac would have become the link between actors and audience that Fo intended.

Amber McMahon as the Maniac in Accidental Death of an Anarchist. (Photo by Daniel Boud)

It is a pity in a time of increasing authoritarian brutality around the world that the power and relevance of Fo’s remarkable play should be so comprehensively missing in this production.

Accidental Death of an Anarchist, presented by the Sydney Theatre Company, is being performed from 10 September to 27 October 2018. Performance attended: September 14.

ABR Arts is generously supported by The Ian Potter Foundation and the ABR Patrons.