Abducting Diane - The Play

Diane Forbes-McKaye is a millionaire media tycoon. She is Robert Maxwell with make up (though slimmer obviously!) She is Rupert Murdoch in a dress, Conrad Black in high heels. In essence she epitomises everything that’s wrong with the media world today; greedy, self obsessed, dishonest and ruthless. However, Diane is about to get her come-uppance. Or is she?

Adapted by Stephen Stenning from Fo’s play Il ratto della Francesca (The Kidnapping of Francesca) Abducting Diane is a glorious piece of satirical theatre from the genius who brought the World Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay and Trumpets and Raspberries. Stenning has relocated the action to London and anglicised the politics. Playing Up have done a bit of tweaking of their own since both politics and the media never stay still for long. The result is a contemporary comedy for our times.

The convoluted plot goes something like this: in the middle of seducing a young man, Diane is unexpectedly kidnapped by a gang disguised as firemen. Unknown to them, however, Diane is not what she seems. She claims to be a double and sets about confusing the kidnappers. In the ensuing chaos someone is locked in a fridge and electrocuted, a perverted priest pulls a gun, an altar boy is smothered in ice cream, a manic mother saves everyone from being crushed by moving scenery and things blow up. Not only that, but nearly everyone turns out to be someone different and lots of jokes are made at the expense of politicians, governments and the Catholic church (well this is Fo!).

Abducting Diane is a classic Dario Fo farce and Stenning’s adaptation makes it accessible to British audiences without losing any of the original brilliance. It is fast, mad and very, very funny.