★★★★
First produced in 1909 this revival of John Galsworthy’s play, regarding the intransigence on both sides during a long drawn out strike, has strong echoes of the current unrest on Southern Rail. The opening scene could well be a fly on the wall depiction of recent meetings at Acas.
Many of Galsworthy’s plays address the class system and raise social issues. In Strife, he forcibly presents the arguments of management and labour and in doing so he successfully walks the tightrope of neutrality.
At the heart of the dispute lies the personal animosity between John Anthony, Chairman of the company and David Roberts, the workers leader. Each gets to deliver a passionate speech on Capital – one defending the other attacking. The play ends with them as broken men – both shafted by those they trusted.
William Gaunt and Ian Hughes give strong performances that flesh out the two protagonists, united eventually through treachery.
Despite fine acting throughout and clever staging (the blast furnace opening effects are spectacular) the production suffers from long windedness and would benefit from trimming, especially in the very long first half.
It is an interesting resurrection of a play but may not be to everyone’s taste.
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