Collaborators

(The National Theatre, 17 March 2012)

The play lacks the terror of uncertainty and thus lacks depth. The characters' Russianness is not integral to the play, but is accidental. Secondary characters are merely sketched, often caricatured to amuse.

The character of the protagonist is carefully developed. Improbable and unpredictable, Stalin (played by Simon Russell Beale) cannot be but inscrutable. Beale's portrayal is lighthearted enough to fit into the allegory, but also cunning enough to deceive.

The play would be improved if parts of it were set as a ballet. All scenes in Stalin's compound stay unchanged. The remaining scenes are rewritten wordless, kinetic. The most expressive scenes now are the most physical ones (e.g., the play within the play); they would accommodate the grotesque better if stripped of dialogue.