Engrossing and emotional drama

Theatre has always had a magical ability to bring to life stories that you'd think could never work on stage, from rap-driven historical drama (that'd be the juggernaut that is Hamilton) to a Meatloaf-infused apocalyptic epic (the recently-seen Bat Out Of Hell). Both of those however have a key component that keeps the narrative moving and audiences engaged - music! Would Hamilton be the mega-hit it is if it weren't for its songs? You might say no but I'd actually venture to say yes, if Oslo is anything to go by. Without its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda's skilful rhyming, Hamilton would be an almost three-hour long political drama with just talking... sounds dire, right? Well the thing is, that's exactly what Oslo is - an almost three-hour long political drama with just talking. And you know what? It is utterly and completely engrossing.

The day I was due to see Oslo, I won't lie, I was wondering if agreeing to review a very lengthy political drama about an event I knew very little about was a bad life choice. So to boost morale, I skim-read a few press reviews about it's Broadway run earlier in the year, and words like "captivating", "edge of my seat" and of course, "engrossing" caught my eye. Morale boosted, I went to the Harold Pinter quite excited to see the play that got all of Broadway talking when it won several Tony's earlier this year - and I was not disappointed.

Bartlett Sher has made the most of J. T. Rogers' dialogue-heavy script thanks to an exceptionally well chosen cast. The narrative surges like waves between hushed conversations and vicious insults. Mona Juul does a fantastic job portraying Lydia Leonard, who helps move the talks forward and keep all participants involved, both within the narrative itself and also as a narrator. She gives brief snippets of context which ensure that anyone who isn't a political enthusiast will be able to follow the play with ease. Her character is almost always on stage, and she really does give an incredible performance - I'd be surprised to not see an Olivier nomination coming her way, one of several for the production I am sure.

At the end of it, however, it's not the acting, the casting, or the way politics has been turned into drama worthy of a TV show that makes Oslo so memorable. It's the way the production allows us to see right into the heart of each side of the bitter, and sadly on-going, conflict between Israel and Palestine. For those three hours as they argue, laugh, drink and cry, we're reminded that major conflicts like this are ultimately not about governments but about people - people who often crave the exact same type of peace but are unable to find their way to it together. Despite watching Oslo 24 years after the peace talks took place and prospered for a decade before falling apart, we can see that peace is possible. I just wish we could gather up the world's leaders and force them to watch this brilliant production - at the very least, it may just remind them of their common humanity.

View our show pages for more information about Oslo, Harold Pinter Theatre.