This is not so much a play as a lecture on Privacy but the outcome is an interactive, dynamic and very slick production that is full of laughs and comes with a few surprises. It is structured as a meta play written by James Graham on the process of writing a play on privacy. Joshua McGuire plays the writer while the other five cast members plays the interviewees in verbatim and in quick fire successions. The transition is seamless and the identification of who is speaking is helped with information projected onto a giant white panel filled with fingerprint indents behind the stage. The writer interviews MPs, judges, journalists, and various other people to discuss the subject, weaving the views and arguments over the course of the evening.
This is a master class in direction from Josie Rourke whose inventive touch include a witty and beautifully realised airline style safety briefing at the start. She also manages perfectly the balance between audience interaction and presenting us with all the information. While most of those information one would have known or heard of, it is concise, direct with clear demonstrations through the use of the projection. Though the fictional elements of the play are feeble and the ending feels forced, these are only minor parts of the play. Never have the Donmar Warehouse feel so utterly 21st Century than this production, in both design and subject matter, and it is a refreshing delight.
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