The Impotent Fury of the Priveleged

Daniel Kitson
Liverpool Playhouse (11th June 2008)

Reviewed by Alison Cornmell

Going to see The Impotent Fury of the Privileged I expected to see a stony faced man whose distaste for the society he experiences had to be scripted and ranted. This would, I thought, would be theatrical Marmite. I expected to be in an audience who were engaged and enraged, modern day Citizen Smith types (minus the beret).

But I was pleasantly surprised. On stage walked a beardy type in what I have to say was a very snazzy suit complete with navy blue silk edging. From the minute Daniel Kitson walked on he oozed charm, intelligence and wit. His stand up/monologue discussed our self-imposed inability to show compassion to others. How we ‘cynacise’ any wrongdoing in the world to nothing more than a con. The man begging in the street is a professional beggar not worthy of our few coppers that we ultimately choose not to throw his way.

Instead we live our lives consciously oblivious to inequality, repeating our collective mantra of ‘what can I do?’. Kitson doesn’t emotionally blackmail, he just observes and beautifully articulates his view on the world. At times I was lost and shamefully switched off, but on the whole he was engaging and thought provoking.

His final passionate and wonderful call to action was the real highlight when he spoke genuinely and from the heart urging each person in the audience to show compassion and take responsibility. Perhaps if we all care about things outside the perimeters of our own lives things would be a little better.

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