London theatre is currently working out how best to portray Trump and Brexit. The approach varies. Some productions are top-down, the action a riff on immediate events seen from the eyes of those in power. An entertaining satire was on offer at Park Theatre with The Final Temptation of Boris Johnson. At the Almeida, Shipwreck was a tongue-in-cheek immersion into a group of wealthy liberal Americans suffering under the Trump presidency.
A focus on current affairs can be tricky. Artistic director of the National Theatre Rufus Norris believes a proper portrayal of Brexit is impossible at this stage. Such a play “would be out of date as soon as you put pen to paper.”
But this has the whiff of avoidance, Norris is perhaps reluctant to stage such a divisive subject.
