Review: PROJECT DICTATOR, New Diorama Theatre

What begins as an awkward state-of-the-nation comedy suddenly morphs into something far more unique, intelligent, and disturbing. Just over an hour long, Project Dictator throws curveball after curveball in a scrupulously crafted testament to theatre's political power.

Clowns Julian Spooner and Matt Wells keep the audience on their toes with Project Dictator, taking multiple narrative twists and stylistic turns. Starting with Matt Wells as a hapless politician with a panglossian quest to "solve all the world's problems", he is quickly undermined by Julian Spooner's overriding and obnoxious demand for the narrative to be nauseatingly fun. He overthrows the artifice of traditional narrative, dominating the stage with trite humour and puerile costumes.

It is awkward and loud but deliberately so because a drastic mood swing recontextualises everything. Suddenly the two clowns are thrust into the logical conclusion of Spooner's forced fun: an Orwellian world of fascist clowning where the two are commanded to perform in Pierrot whiteface garb by a disembodied authoritarian voice.

The change in pace is bizarre but jaw-droppingly executed, as Project Dictator transcends the boundaries it set for itself. Without the cheap jokes and cheesy gags, this change in tone would not get under the skin as well as it does.

Only when Spooner and Wells reveal their hand is it clear how meticulously crafted their performances are. The tone shift is marked by a drastic change in their shared energy. What was once slapstick silliness is now feverish anxiety bubbling beneath the surface as two perform a clown routine against their will. There is a palpable sense of fear marauding over them like the voice commanding them to perform. There is even a sign that flashes obliging the audience to applaud. We are now complicit in the absurdity, in the politics, in the regime.

Project Dictator has a political sensibility without being overly didactic. It could have been easy to point fingers at politicians more concerned with their celebrity status rather than their policies, but co-director Hamish MacDougall, alongside Spooner and Wells, instead give us something more ethereal in its understanding.

It channels 1984, where the origins of Orwell's dystopian state are left unspoken, and consequently the critique is ambiguous rather than targeting a distinct ideological stance. But it also channels the work of Milan Kundera in finding absurdity in the darkest of political nightmares: Is this a harrowing vision of the future? Or is it just a joke?

Rhum + Clay Theatre Company worked with artists from across the globe operating under authoritarian regimes. Their play is not only a demonstration of theatre's ability to express dissenting ideas, but also celebrating its political power. It is no coincidence that the Ancient Greeks who birthed democracy also founded the origins of Western theatre. The two are inextricably linked.

Project Dictator runs until 30 April at New Diorama Theatre

Photo Credit: Cesare De Giglio

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