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Written by Rosie Whitehead
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 A celebrated American playwright faces imprisonment having written a controversial play the government has interpreted to be inciting terrorism. The Patriot Act is a conversation between the playwright and a government legal official interspersed with memories and flashbacks. To have a chance of escaping military prison, he must write a new, government-friendly play about 9/11 and America’s war on terror. The calm intelligence of the playwright is contrasted by the boyish giggle of the lawyer that makes him immediately untrustworthy and a bit silly. His resolve to be patriotic, do his duty and make war on terror is disconcerting; even the lapel of his suit bears a little, shiny American flag. The consistently strong and engaging acting is boosted by a well-structured script that certainly demonstrates one theme of its content: the power of words. The playwright’s relationship with his son and wife, which we see mostly through memories, is believable both in its warmth and its imperfection. The lawyer’s intrusion into his study and his interruptions to the memories become almost as violating to us as to him. I’m confident The Patriot Act, unlike the plays within the play that the playwright has written, will only be praised by his despised ‘niggling critics’.
- The Patriot Act
- Gilded Balloon
- 30th July - 25th August (not 11th)
- 12:45
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