A Role to Die For pulls its punches, and perhaps necessarily so, at Cirencester’s Barn Theatre
“If you want to be a star, some things are best kept in the dark”
There are moments when A Role to Die For feels like it might be dancing a little close to the frontlines of the culture wars but writer Jordan Waller thankfully keeps us clear. That said, it all depends on how you feel about the possibility of James Bond ever being played by someone who isn’t a straight white man.
At pains to stress it has no connection with the Barbara Broccoli of it all, the play can’t help but echo real world incidents. Here, lead producer Deborah is forced to scramble when her latest leading man is forced to withdraw just before being announced, due to underage sexting (rather than a Karla Sofía Gascón-esque foot-in-mouth disease). Finding a suitable replacement proves tricky in more ways than one.
Between her co-producer cousin and heir-in-the-making son, they thrash out questions of commercialism versus creativity, debating dated character traits and the merits (or otherwise) of diverse casting. Should film studios be doing their social media vetting of any and every actor they see? In this format of almost-screwball comedy though, these issues aren’t dealt with in any substantive depth, even as relevant to the moment as they are.
Derek Bond’s production for the Barn Theatre doesn’t necessarily want to either, preferring instead to amp up the farcical energy of comic set-pieces and copious swearing. Janie Dee’s Deborah leads with strength from the front, Harry Goodson-Bevan impresses as her son and there’s amusing work from Kit Esuruoso and Peter McPherson as the two main candidates for stepping into the role. Overall though, this is a play that could afford to be smarter and sharper about its satire although given its target, you don’t blame them for being more than a little careful.
