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Thatcher Assassination Story Opens at Liverpool Everyman as Timing Draws Criticism

The Liverpool staging tests the line between artistic freedom and responsibility in a tense political climate.

Overview

  • The Everyman in Liverpool is presenting Alexandra Wood’s stage adaptation through May 23, directed by John Young and performed by Anita Reynolds and Robbie O’Neill.
  • The two-hander imagines a 1983 “what if” in which a would-be IRA sniper uses a Windsor flat to target Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with surreal sequences that include headless Thatcher mannequins dropping from above.
  • Conservative figures, including former party leader Iain Duncan Smith, questioned the decision to stage the play now, citing recent real-world attacks on political figures and the proximity to local elections.
  • The theatre set a 14-plus age guidance and posted content warnings that flag depictions and references to murder, violence, kidnapping, and abuse.
  • Reviews range from a two-star pan in The Times to praise from the Independent, the Liverpool Echo, and the Wirral Globe, with local audiences applauding performances and design in a city shaped by anti‑Thatcher sentiment.