Removal Men – The Yard Theatre

Removal Men at the Yard Theatre, London. Picture: Caleb Wissun-Bhide

Removal Men continues at The Yard, London until 10 December.

Star rating: two and a half stars

Great political theatre can reflect society’s rage directly onto the stage. And in a world full of surprising political changes and upsets – political theatre is even more important today.

Writers MJ Harding and Jay Miller have created a piece which responds to the refugee crisis. What happens when a ‘couple’ meet in an immigration centre? How do we react to an officer, in a position of power, seeking a ‘relationship’ with a detainee? Is there any hope?

The abandoned warehouse feel of the Yard and the stripped-back staging brings to life a nameless immigration centre filled with duo Mo and George – officers – and their boss, Beatrice.

Mo (Mark Field) and George’s (Barnaby Power) friendship is shown through slapstick comedy techniques – with characters finding themselves in compromising positions – and clichéd innuendos flying at full force. These child-like men are undeveloped characters who exist as symbols of a flawed system where power is given out to the unqualified.

Clare Perkins’ Beatrice is also a limited character within the production, but she is given punchy dialogue and has strong stage presence during all of her scenes as she takes on the role of a straight-talking boss. She also performs well in the musical numbers and adapts well to the discordant ‘talking’ style of singing which differs from the soaring numbers seen in the majority of musical theatre pieces.

It’s understandable why the characters need to remain enigmas, but in order for this production to really exist as a strong political statement it needs more depth and narrative drive. The action can seem stilted at time and the significance of the refugee can become hidden behind the comedy, especially as ‘she’ never makes an appearance on stage.

Removal Men is topical and speaks to an audience viewing inequality and disenfranchisement. However, with more focus and a faster narrative pace, this could be a piece with real potential to shed light on our world.

Rebecca Gordon