Land of the Free by Simple8, Southwark Playhouse, the Large, 77 Newington Causeway, London until 2 November 2024,

2✩✩. Review: William Russell.

“A sub Littlewood romp.”

There were times watching this undeniably energetically performed play with songs of the time about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln when one felt the curse of Joan Littlewood hanging over the theatre. She hit the mark with Oh What a Lovely War but this concert party treatment of why John Wilkes Booth, played by Brandon Basir. did what he did is relentless jolly theatrical stuff rather than illuminating drama with a point or two to make. It is a sub Littlewood romp in fact. We get a jokey opening about the statue of Liberty and its lamp, then a youthful performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with the young John playing Brutus, while throughout lots of cards are pinned on the proscenium arch showing other assassin targets from Kennedy to the inevitable Trump. Then we jump back and forward in time for the rest of the evening with a card pinned up to tell us exactly where we are and when, while the cast play musical instruments, as you do in such productions, until we get to the fatal night convinced Lincoln was a threat to freedom Wilkes secures a pass to the theatre and shoots him.

Basir has loads of personality,Clara Onyenmere is impressive as Lincoln and the other five members of the cast play multiple roles very well indeed. But the play is the thing and this play crawls along for two hours relentlessly stating the obvious until Wilkes gets shot by one of the people hunting him and his fellow conspirators or freedom fighters, take you pick, in exactly the same way he shot Lincoln. In the back of the neck. There is a play worth writing about John Wilkes Booth and the penchant the citizens of the land of the free have for trying to kill their leaders – seven presidents have been shot if not all killed - and the state of the nation today but this is not it.

Cast

Brandon Basir – John Wilkes Booth.

Hannah Emanuel – Keene, Mary Lincoln, Knox, Mudd, Jack,

Natakue Law – Junem Abel, Rathbone, Lucy, Herold.

Sara Lessore – Asia, Keckley, Meredith, Leale, Israel, Urohart.

Owen Oalshott – Fordm Juniusm Stoddart, Ashmun, Powell, Conger, Garrett.

Clara Onyemere – Lincoln, Azerodt, Will.

Dan Wolff – Hawn, Edwin, Surratt, Boston.

Creatives

Writers -Sebastian Arnesto & Dudley Hinton.

Director – Sebastian Arnesto.

Set & Costume Designer – Kate Bunce.

Lighting Designer – Chuma Emembolu.

Musical Supervisor – Hannah Emanuel

Dialect Coach – Caitlin Stegenoller.