The Winner's Curse
***
Written by former ambassador and Middle East peace negotiator Daniel Taub, this is billed as "interactive theatre" examining the difficult world of international relations.
The first thing that broadcaster Clive Anderson had to negotiate was his opening lines, which he fluffed so badly that I never caught why he was dressed in black tie and tails.
Collaborating with Mock the Week writer/producer Dan Patterson, Taub is offering a masterclass in the dark arts of debate and mediation, with Anderson as ambassador Hugh Leitsky looking back on an early role as an aide in talks between two fictional Balkanesque states.
Lead negotiator is the experienced and wily Korsakov (a suave but forceful Michael Maloney). The callow Young Leitski is brilliantly played by Arthur Conti (making his stage debut and already showing signs of superb comic timing).
On the other side of the table are General Gromski (the blood-soaked menacing presence of Barrie Rutter) and Winnie Arhin's cerebral and cunning Flintok. As the talks stumble, they are joined by all-American, ass-kicking Tyler (Greg Lockett).
The venue is the faded grandeur of a hotel run by the brilliant and dryly funny Nichola McAuliffe as the hard-bitten Vaslika who continually references her late husband’s pearls: “Better to clap the deal than to deal the clap”.
With influences ranging from The Thick of It to Yes Minister, I am afraid I laughed so much, the actual details of the talks eluded me.
Anderson plays a kind of chorus, guiding the audience and explaining the techniques; flattery, empathy, listening, or the more subtle ones like separating your position from interest. The winner’s curse is the tendency to over-estimate your gain if it was hard fought.
While he is adept at ad-libs and eliciting audience participation - we are encouraged to thumb wrestle and practice negotiating with our neighbours - Anderson bumbles through the rest as he bumbles though much of his work. Feigned confusion has earned him a good living, but perhaps this drama would have been better with a professional actor as our guide?
The Winner's Curse runs at Park Theatre, Finsbury Park until March 11. https://parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on
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