The Permanent Way

Synopsis

In 1991, before an election they did not expect to win, the Conservative government made a fateful decision to privatise the railways. Now, twelve years later, as a result of that privatisation, the taxpayer subsidises the system more lavishly than ever before. In The Permanent Way, David Hare, tells the intricate, remarkable story of a dream gone sour, by gathering together the first-hand accounts of those most intimately involved - from every level of the railway system. Funny, tragic and compelling, the play offers an extraordinary parable of British mismanagement which raises questions about the recent history of the country.

Our Review:

14 January 2004

Plays don’t come much more topical than this.

En route home after seeing The Permanent Way at the National, I read the Evening Standard article, “Firms with links to rail disasters win £450m worth of safety work”, about the lucrative new contracts awarded to Jarvis and Balfour Beatty, the rail maintenance companies responsible for the tracks at crash sites Potters Bar and Hatfield, respectively - a sadly ironic development which author David Hare had already incorporated into that evening’s press night performance.

Newspapers also feature heavily in director Max Stafford-Clark’s fast-paced opening sequence, in which the excellent nine-strong ensemble play rail passengers being jostled about as they vent their frustrations and spout wide-ranging views that could have been lifted verbatim from the range of tabloids and broadsheets they brandish.

For anyone who’s experienced transport chaos, delays, strikes and fare inflation (which must ...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (172.144.160.171) - 12 February 2004:

OK, so it's well written, well staged and well acted. It holds our attention for 110 minutes. It is at times sad, angry, funny.........BUT it says nothing we didn't know already (rail privatisation was a huge mistake) and doesn't really add anything to what we already know (many of us even know the trains are owned by banks, Mr Hare!). This all means that it comes over as high quality whinging - but whinging all the same. If the theatre can't illuminate its subject more it should move on to another subject. David Hare's previous work has been thought provoking, insightful and illuminating. I'm afraid this isn't in the same league....

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