Three directionless youths come under the influence of a charismatic figure with women issues who manipulates them into a deadly action... In outline, the plot of Rajiv Joseph's play has a torn-from-the-headlines topicality connected to current "manosphere" obsessions. In fact, the setting is Serbia, 1914, and what our heroes are being coerced into is nothing less than the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, catalyst for WWI.
Already a hit OFF Broadway, Joseph's play receives its European premiere in a solid production by Lindsey Turner at the Royal Court that benefits from a fine, atmospheric design by Es Devlin - ushering us from tunnel to train compartment - and from great performances from its five-strong cast.
As the assassins, initially motivated, as much as anything, by the promise of food, Chris Walley, Abraham Popoola and Stanley Morgan spark off each other with aplomb. Funny and chilling as the Captain who grooms them, Marc Wootton brings gleaming-eyed gusto to the production, including to some heavy, context-setting exposition. And, reunited with Wootton from last year's fragrant When We Are Married at the Donmar, Janice Connolly does another sly, eccentric gem of a supporting turn as the Captain's cook.
Despite the world-shaking events it heralds, the play is intimate not epic, and Joseph finds a convincing idiom, his dialogue neither period fusty nor irritatingly anachronistic. Those expecting a sweeping Coast of Utopia deep dive into the complexities of revolutionary politics might feel short-changed but the production delivers the play effectively up to a poignant 'What If?' coda. A worthwhile evening.
Archduke is booking at the Royal Court until 25 July.
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