An interesting piece on BBC Radio 4's "Start The Week" the other day about a play, 'The Presidents Holiday' by Penny Gold (Hampstead Theatre, London until 16th February) , a drama which examines the period when the fearfully deluded Mikhail Gorbachev was held hostage , whilst what is usually referred to as 'hard liners' attempted to reverse the course of his glasnost and perestroika reforms. I say 'fearfully deluded' because Gorbachev always claimed, well up until recently anyway, that he did not intend the replacement of socialism with capitalism, when he introduced the reforms which would in fact ultimately result in the collapse of the USSR. The fact that the Soviet Union ceased to exist is without doubt the greatest victory that imperialism had obtained in over 100 years, and its absence still reverberates throughout the world, in that there is no longer the progressive counterbalance to the whims of US imperialism which used to exist. What was most interesting about this interview was that Andrew Marr seemed intrigued by one of the play's main characters 'Plekhanov' played by Robert Demeger, who patiently explains to Gorbachev what would be the disastrous consequences of the process he set in train. Marr suggested that this character actually makes a pretty good case against the undermining of the Soviet Union to Gorbachev, and one of the other commentators also observed that most of the gloomy predictions enunciated by this loyal communist, in fact turned out to be pretty accurate, certainly for the disastrous Yeltsin years. Yeltsin's played a crucial role in cementing organised crime's hegemony over post-soviet Russia , Yeltsin will be best remembered as the drunken criminal buffoon, who was given such a heart felt send off by his western friends at his funeral, whilst the Russian people were only too glad to say goodbye to the rogue.In the interview, the plays author Penny Gold said : 'The starting point for me of the play was realising the degree to which global capitalism seems to be winning everything and that there are many, many people who proclaim that Socialism is utterly dead and a discredited notion. So I started to ask whether it's possible to have a socialist, equal and just society that isn't based on coercion. I therefore wanted to look at revolutions and how they failed - the collapse of the Soviet Union being the obvious case. Then I came upon this extraordinary dramatic story with a thriller element to it - in fact every kind of element to it - the personal, the political, it has it all - of Gorbachev and his family under house arrest during the 1991 Coup.' Listen to interviewhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/starttheweek_20080107.shtml
The precis of the play which is on at Hampstead Theatre is reproduced below, some people were whispering that Gorbachev might be coming to see it, but I have also heard that this is largely 'wishful thinking' on behalf of the theatre, well no harm in trying to garner a bit of publicity is there? Nevertheless it is refreshing to see a play being staged that does not simplify things so as to assume that there were no serious minded people in Russia at the time, who did not have the gravest of misgivings about the path that Gorbachev was steering the USSR's ship of state.
"One late summer, afternoon a successful middle-aged man sits peacefully with his wife on the verandah of their summer house. Somewhere below them, their grandchildren are playing on the beach.
Half an hour later, all communication with the outside world has been cut off, and the house is swarming with secret police and heavily armed officers.The man is Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the date is 18 August 1991.Penny Gold’s gripping and deeply moving play takes place at a pivotal moment of world history. Part political thriller and part personal drama, The President’s Holiday draws on the diaries of Raisa Gorbacheva to tell the story of a family under siege and an idealist who unwittingly destroys everything for which he has fought."
Half an hour later, all communication with the outside world has been cut off, and the house is swarming with secret police and heavily armed officers.The man is Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the date is 18 August 1991.Penny Gold’s gripping and deeply moving play takes place at a pivotal moment of world history. Part political thriller and part personal drama, The President’s Holiday draws on the diaries of Raisa Gorbacheva to tell the story of a family under siege and an idealist who unwittingly destroys everything for which he has fought."
Tickets for the play can be booked online on the Hampstead Theatre website-http://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/prod-productions_details.asp?PID=70
