An Enemy of the People review, New Diorama Theatre

If you're unfamiliar with the thrust of Ibsen's, An Enemy of the People, Rebecca Manson Jones' reframing of the play provides little illumination.  Set in a Cornish town, it's the story of a doctor, Ti Stockmann, and her brother, the Mayor, Peter. They run a family business, a spa, which uses ethically sourced creams. When Ti discovers Peter has changed their palm oil supplier, thus rendering their stock unethical, she demands a halt to production. In doing so, she invites the wrath of a community that relies on the Stockmann's for employment. Which is more important: sustainability or employment?

Ibsen's original story is about the poisoning of a town's medicinal baths and the effect on the health of tourists. Unethical palm oil isn't in the same league.  Demand for palm oil has led to the slashing and burning of rain forests in Indonesia, so it's important that sustainable sources are found, but east-west politics are complex. High carbon emissions often run parallel with socio-economic advancement and growth, and the world's poorest countries need to draw level with us before they acknowledge and service wider concerns. Ti shares that problem at micro level: her own town has yet to draw level with her sensibilities. Inevitably she becomes An Enemy of the People.

What works about this production, works brilliantly. The audience are the townsfolk and subject to Ti's peroration on the townsfolk's failings. It's a tad jaw-dropping. We also vote to decide whether or not she's right. Can the majority be trusted to put ethics first?  Where it doesn't work is in the naturalistic first half where we are eavesdropping a series of intense and impassioned conversations and monologues with the richness of detail that suggests, but little context. Understanding takes a while. A superb cast, under the direction of Manson Jones, keeps you watching even when you've stopped listening.

In conclusion: The inclusive, interactive, second half works beautifully, although the narrative remains confusing with no sense of where the lines are drawn. Sarah Malin is many-layered and mesmeric as Ti - she's a younger Tamsin Greig, and Rupert Holliday Evans as Peter gives us a politician who is struggling inwardly with the decisions he's making.

References
New Diorama Theatre, Tickets

New Diorama Theatre, 15-16 Triton Street, London NW1 3BF.  Production ends 16 November.