Drawing on Britain’s colonial past and the history of protests at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the late 1960s, Lessons on Revolution is a thought-provoking documentary play that is well performed and thoroughly researched.
The staging is thoughtful, despite the cramped quarters, with the use of a retro Overhead Projector and turntable to hint at 1968, when the majority of the referenced protests took place. It also represents the mouldy, death-trap flat that performers Sam Rees and Gabriele Uboldi shared while they were recent LSE students. There is a lot of information packed in to this show, and on the whole it is clearly delivered. The use of the audience is skillful, with individuals asked if they are willing to participate as they enter. Those who agree are given lines to read and items of costume to indicate their characters, leaving our narrators to focus on the storytelling.
Aided by maps, a variety of projections and verbatim text, Rees and Uboldi set the political scene near the end of the swinging sixties: in particular protests against colonial expansion in Africa, opposition to the Vietnam war, and the role of big oil in both. There is also a reference to the rising Gay Liberation Movement, although it sadly does not come soon enough for one of the protagonists. This historical context is intermingled with Uboldi’s current personal experiences of migration and coming out, including footage of their grandfather and continuing challenges of being open about their sexuality.
The description of sit-ins held in the dark, forbidden spaces of LSE, and the brave defiance student leaders displayed in protesting the school’s problematic affiliations—at their own cost—are inspiring. However, as the production continues it seems to lack a clear purpose or message. The historical facts and contemporary reflections are certainly interesting and educational, but there is no real link forged between the two. The flatmates are trying to work out what radical change means in the modern world by drawing on the lessons of the past, but in the final letters (read by game audience members), there is a real sense of nihilism which takes the punch out of what could otherwise be a galvanising piece.
Change through protest can be incremental, and of course there can be failures, but with so many strides made in the past half-century on the topics the play covers, the conclusion that nothing really succeeds feels a little unsatisfying. There are certainly lessons in this work, but the concept of revolution needs further exploration, particularly in the troubled times we currently find ourselves in.
By Deborah Klayman
Lessons On Revolution plays at Summerhall, Edinburgh until August 26th, 2024.
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