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Next year, Liverpool will host a stage production of Hilary Mantel’s provocative short story that envisions the assassination of Margaret Thatcher in the summer of 1983. Originally published by the Guardian in 2014, “The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher – August 6th 1983” was the title piece of Mantel’s short story collection that same year. The narrative unfolds with a woman in a refined Windsor neighborhood opening her door to a man posing as a plumber, who is actually a sniper preparing to target the prime minister, who is undergoing eye surgery nearby.
Adapted into a psychological thriller by Alexandra Wood and directed by John Young, the play will debut in May at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre. Young commented, “This isn’t just a play for people who have an opinion or strong feeling towards Maggie Thatcher. It’s about class, about lives that collide, people trying to understand, asking questions, coming together and bridging that divide. I also think it’s a play about what happens when people feel they don’t have a voice, and how dangerous it is when they feel they don’t have anything to lose.” The story captures the tension and social fracture of Britain during that period, highlighting underlying issues of class and political disenfranchisement.
Mantel’s inspiration for the story stems from a personal experience; she saw Thatcher from her flat’s vantage point on the specific date of August 6, 1983. Speaking in 2014, Mantel revealed, “Immediately your eye measures the distance. I thought, if I wasn’t me, if I was someone else, she’d be dead.” Despite the fact that Thatcher was a compelling figure for dramatic exploration, Mantel admitted it took more than three decades before she could craft the story. It was published a year after Thatcher’s death, at a time when Mantel was also gaining recognition for her acclaimed historical novels and theatrical adaptations centered on Thomas Cromwell.
Following the release of the short story, some critics and Tory MPs voiced disapproval, with calls for Mantel to face police investigation due to the story’s content. Mantel responded firmly to such criticism, stating, “I think it would be unconscionable to say this is too dark, we can’t examine it. We can’t be running away from history. We have to face it head on, because the repercussions of Mrs Thatcher’s reign have fed the nation.” The forthcoming play will explore the broader meaning of Thatcher’s legacy, her impact on a divided Britain, and her contentious relationship with Liverpool—a city deeply affected by industrial decline and social unrest during her tenure. Young noted the significance of the story’s setting and themes, saying, “One of the gorgeous things about the Everyman space is that it can do both intimacy and massiveness really well. I think that’s what this play does. You’re in a small flat with just two people, but the ideas and subjects they’re talking about are enormous. It’s about this flat, but it’s also about the world.”
While casting has not yet been announced for the production, which will run from May 2 to May 23, the play forms part of Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse’s new season lineup, alongside works like Julia Cranney’s Attachment, a drama developed with adoptive families from Merseyside. Alexandra Wood, the playwright, has previously brought to the stage other adaptations, including Kate Summerscale’s The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, staged at the Watermill Theatre in 2023. This latest production promises to reignite conversations about Thatcher’s divisive era through a visceral and intimate theatrical experience
Read the full article from The Guardian here: Read More
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