Make England Great Again Upstairs At The Gatehouse
Scathing political satire seems to be in short supply on North American stages (if I’m wrong, please correct me in the Comments), but thanks to Francis Beckett’s perfectly timed Make England Great Again it’s alive and well in London.
Make England Great Again, being presented by Upstairs at the Gatehouse in North London, takes us to a United Kingdom of the very near future in which the blustering and throughly amoral Max Moore (Silas Hawkins) has bamboozled the electorate into electing a sufficient number of supportive MPs and has become Prime Minister. Similarities to real politicians are, of course, purely coincidental.
It’s not long before centuries of tradition and respect for England’s so-called unwritten constitution have been thrown to the winds. A long-suffering King Charles (a supremely funny Clive Greenwood) tries to gently coach the new PM but is ignored.
When Moore’s faction loses a subsequent election, he flat out refuses to ask the King to summon the leader of the opposition, Pam Jones (Miranda Colmans), to form a new government. That’s what centuries of tradition demands, but he has a better idea how to make England great again.
With the aid of his communications wizard and paramour, Samantha (Abi Haberfield) he charges rampart electoral fraud and sets about creating an implacable authoritarian regime that thinks nothing of tossing people into prison, even those you’d least expect to wind up there.
While Beckett is unsparing in his views about right-wing pols, he doesn’t let the left off easy. When Pam, the leader of something that looks a lot like the Labour Party, takes umbrage at being labeled “a militant lesbian” propriety demands that she say, of course, there’s nothing wrong with being either militant or a lesbian, it’s just that in her case the label is not accurate.
Beckett has written juicy roles for his cast of four and by and large they rise to the occasion. Hawkins is suitably repulsive as Max, but it is in the subsidiary characters where Make England Great Again really shines. Greenwood is an absolute stitch as the hapless monarch. Haberfield is perfect as the sleekly glamourous and utterly cynical government spokesperson. Colmans, who was so impressive as the doomed lover in Beckett’s Vodka With Stalin of a few seasons back, presents a commanding figure as the leader of the opposition and the “left-wing conspiracy.”
If only Owain Rose’s direction was up to the level of the script and the talent he has to work with. He has directed in a rather flaccid manner and often betrays a seeming lack of understanding for the material. What should have been a very funny gag about the absurdity of selecting personal pronouns is rushed through and falls flat.
As is true of much of so-called “pub theatre” in London, the production values are minimal to the point of being non-existent. Even by these standards, Make England Great Again is unnecessarily sparse. A better set and an actual lighting plot would have been welcome additions. On the plus side, the uncredited sound designer has provided some nice effects.
The virtue of Make England Great Again, fortunately, lies in Beckett’s witty script script and the lack of theatrical razzle-dazzle doesn’t do too much harm.
I would urge Canadian and American visitors to London to take a break from the overpriced West End and seek out Make England Great Again. Some references will be obscure but much will be eerily familiar. (The flyer for the show features a bright red ball cap emblazoned with the play’s title.) And it’s very funny.
Make England Great Again, returns to Upstairs at the Gatehouse for an encore engagement from October 14 to 19, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Upstairs at the Gatehouse website.
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