Hidden away under the arches of Waterloo is the small, musty smelling, but brilliant Waterloo East Theatre. On Thursday 5 June, I ventured over in the sunshine to watch An Interview With Gaddafi. Given the ominous title of the play, I was curious about what I was about to experience and I was certainly not expecting what unfolded before my eyes over the next two hours.
The four-person cast dramatically played out the desperate attempts of Bellamy Johan, a “dinosaur” of a journalist, to not only fix his anxiety-inducing marriage to overly-dramatic Chilean wife, Eva, but also his flagging career. With the help of his cockney neighbour Eric, who is Libyan, Johan finds himself venturing into volatile Libya, circa 2011.
Before you know it, you’re witnessing an exclusive interview with the “Mad Dog” himself. Played by Walles Hamonde clad in the garb we often saw Gaddafi wear, Hamonde brilliantly characterised the murdered dictator.
Written by Reggie Adams, a political journalist himself, this production is not only a major dig at mainstream Western media and it’s incapability of presenting honest, unbiased news, but also an insight into a much forgotten fact: although Gaddafi did indeed go mad, he was in fact a highly intelligent man who understood world affairs with crystal clarity. At one stage, when Johan (played by Jonathan Hansler) asks Gaddafi about democracy or the lack of it in Libya, Gaddafi proceeds to run some numbers by the journalist reminding him of how the British public have often been side-lined and their votes not taken into consideration on subjects such as the EU, the war in Iraq and university fees.
In all honestly, walking up to the Waterloo East Theatre I had no expectations of this production, but minutes into the play I was completely blown away by the power of the words written by Adams on subjects many prefer not to discuss or deal with.
Without giving away too much of the plot, this brutally honest portrayal of the inner workings of mainstream media, geopolitics and the Middle East is a must-see by all. Though you only have three more weeks as it ends its run on 29 June.
Written by Ruba Asfahani.
You can find all the relevant information about the production and buy your tickets here.
Show Times:
Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Sunday at 4pm (No Monday performances)
Running time approx 120 mins with an interval
Tickets: £15 / £13 Concession
No Booking Fees (All seating is unreserved)
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