Tanya Franks in A ROLE TO DIE FOR What is A Role to Die For about?
Deborah’s family owns the most celebrated spy film franchise in history, and she’s hours away from announcing the star who’ll play the most coveted role of all time. But things spiral out of her control when her chosen actor for James Bond is suddenly caught in a sex scandal involving underage girls and pulls out of the role. Now Deborah, her doddering cousin Malcolm, and her idealistic son Quinn have 22 hours before the big announcement ceremony to decide who the next Bond will be. Malcolm wants them to go with Pete: handsome, white, dark-haired, strong-jawed - the safe choice. But Quinn pushes for Theo - a talented but also unknown black actor who could push the boundaries for a franchise many young people see as stale and outdated. Who will Deborah pick? And can she stick to her guns as decades of legacy and tradition, not to mention a greedy studio executive, breathe down her neck?
What is the inspiration behind A Role to Die For?
Although the characters are entirely fictional, it’s easy to map them out onto the very real family that once held creative control over the Bond film franchise: Albert Broccoli, and later his daughter Barbara Broccoli and her half-brother Michael Wilson. The detestable (and unseen) LaCroix and his streaming studio are also a thinly veiled stand-in for Amazon, which eventually took control of the Bond films. In the programme notes, writer Jordan Waller talks about his fascination with how one of the most famous film franchises in Hollywood history started out as a family business. This is an instant recipe for Succession levels of family drama that goes beyond the who-will-play-Bond question, as Deborah, Malcolm, and Quinn grapple with their places within a family that carries the burden of decades of film history and legacy.
Waller also clearly draws inspiration from the ongoing debates about casting legacy roles, whether it’s James Bond, the Doctor, or Superman, which have become a huge point of contention in the age of social media backlash. How far are casting directors able to push back against convention in the name of diversity? Could the world ever accept a black, or gay, or even (gasp, shudder) female James Bond? Or are producers too afraid of a possible backlash to even try? Is race-bent casting really diversity or just tokenism and box-ticking? The play takes a very cynical, satirical approach to this issue, especially in the context of an age in media where we’re constantly seeing old franchises rebooted or expanded into a multiverse, and where streaming companies are swallowing up beloved IPs and regurgitating soulless cash cows in their place.
It all feels shudderingly close to home, but even with its occasional wink-wink nudge-nudge to the audience, A Role to Die For doesn’t fall into moral grandstanding, and instead treats the darker elements of the story with the same cheeky irreverence it holds throughout the play, so that the lesson, if there is one, seems to be: that’s show business, folks, take it or leave it.
Who is in the cast?
A Role to Die for has a small cast, all of whom play off each other perfectly, with impeccable comedic timing and an undercurrent of shared history and grievances that spill over into the subtext of their dialogue.
Tanya Frank stole the show for me as the cynical, caustic, and outrageously funny Deborah, who jumps between cocky girlboss and unhinged boomer scrolling through rude comments on Reddit. Acting as the M and Q to her Bond are Philip Bretherton, who’s a close second favourite as her bumbling cousin Malcolm, constantly walked over by others but who displays a hidden ruthless streak to rival Deborah’s, and Harry Goodson-Bevan, who plays the endearingly insecure nepo baby Quinn, torn between his ideals and his loyalty to the family business. Obioma Ugoala enters the third act as the would-be Bond, Theo, who’s in equal parts charming, sincere, and adorably awkward in his excitement - maybe a little too perfect, but it makes his entry into the corrupt world of film politics all the more painful to watch. Unseen characters like Deborah’s late father and the studio chief LaCroix feel equally real and vivid despite never appearing onstage.
Who will enjoy A Role to Die For?
You’ll appreciate the razor-sharp wit and fast-paced comedy of this play whether you’re a die-hard Bond fan or someone with only surface level knowledge of the franchise - maybe more so if you’re in the second category. While the play is full of sly puns and nods to the world of Bond, and a genuine commentary on what it is about the character that appeals to us, it also pokes fun at Bond purists, and calls out some of the ways in which the character and the franchise have become outdated, even problematic. But it doesn’t take a hard line either way, instead revelling in the fun of playing with the familiar tropes and archetypes of the world of Bond.
Keep children away - the comedy may go over their heads, and there’s plenty of adult humour and content to be found.
Is A Role to Die For worth watching?
Is it topical? Yes - but in places maybe a little too on the nose. It feels at times like it’s trying to tackle too many hot-button topics at once - celebrities getting cancelled for sex scandals, nepo babies, online trolls, the list goes on. Malcolm and Quinn have an argument that’s meant to parody the generational divide, quibbling over identity politics and wokeness, in a way that feels a bit heavy-handed.
Is it funny? Resoundingly so. The play is packed with slapstick comedy (including hilarious moments of phone choreography where Deborah juggles multiple angry conversations over multiple phones), rapid-fire back and forth between a cast with impeccable comedic timing, puns ripped straight out of a tabloid heading (‘Dr No Consent’) and outrageous one-liners (‘for a feminist, you are a cunt, Fifi’).
There’s also a riveting sense of suspense, with twists and turns as characters double-cross and manipulate each other, and we’re left wondering which of the two options Deborah will go with, and even when that’s revealed, there’s a final twist, followed by a conclusion that ends with a (very in-character) bang.
Tanya Franks and Obioma Ugoala in A ROLE TO DIE FOR
Written by Jordan Waller and directed by Derek Bond (no relation), A Role to Die For is playing at the Marylebone Theatre until August 30th.
