David Harewood and Zachary Quinto, Best of Enemies, Noel Coward Theatre.Written by James Graham and directed by Jeremy Herrin, this well-deserved West End transfer of the 2021 Young Vic multi-award winner, depicts the series of groundbreaking confrontational studio debates which have nowadays become part of the media mainstream, but which at the time were revelatory and a magnet for those seeking an intellectually barbed assessment of the political scene. To add fluff and flavour, major arts and activist figures of the period like Andy Warhol, Tariq Ali, Enoch Powell and Aretha Franklin, jump in and out of conversations, whilst notables like Walter Cronkite and James Baldwin contribute to fictionalised interactions with the protagonists or reproduce significant moments from their own notable efforts to broaden the wider discourse on societal issues (e.g. the Kennedy Assassination coverage and the Baldwin vs Buckley 1965 Cambridge Union race debate).
The lead actors’ gladiatorial cut and thrust is initially delivered with panache and politesse until the mild mannered debates descend into a cacophony of acidic antagonism and one particularly memorable on-air meltdown which caused studio executives to regret ever bringing the pair together… that is, until they saw the record-breaking ratings figures. The event moved the needle so significantly, that the grey area between pure political discourse and topical entertainment has remained blurred to this day.
Bunnie Christie has once again come up trumps with a simplistic set design emulating the divide between studio floor and the exec’s/controller’s offices above, whilst Max Spielbichler’s composite video projections, referencing the volatile political landscape of the period, add considerable visual depth and context to the on-stage vitriol.
The play is sure to delight those who prefer their theatrical entertainments delivered with an unwholesome spoonful of biting relish and venomous erudition.
