Gethsemane: David Hare's satire crucifies New Labour

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Charlotte Higgins, chief arts writer
The Guardian,
Wednesday August 13 2008

David Hare anatomised the failure of privatisation in The Permanent Way; in Stuff Happens, he turned a ruthless eye on the double-think and culpable naivety that led to the Iraq war. And in his new play, Hare dramatises his final and bitter disenchantment with New Labour, the Guardian can reveal.

Gethsemane, which opens at the National Theatre in November, features a group of characters that bear a strong resemblance to the cabinet and confidants of former prime minister Tony Blair.

A source close to the production said a major character in the play is the party's chief fundraiser, Otto Fallon, a north London Jewish former hairdresser who, as a music producer, has in the past created a number of boy bands. Audiences will perhaps note a likeness to Blair's close friend and former chief fundraiser, Lord Levy, a north London Jewish former accountant who made his fortune managing stars such as Alvin Stardust and Chris Rea, and who founded the label Magnet Records.

The prime minister of the play, named Alex, is a regular kind of guy, in a Tony Blair kind of a way. The home secretary is a woman named Meredith, whose husband, Jack, a wealthy businessman, is described as having a daring portfolio based in many different countries. No great imaginative leap is needed to link the character to Tessa Jowell, culture secretary under Blair, and her husband, David Mills.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/aug/13/davidhare.theatre