The Winslow Boy

As England were getting their arses kicked by the Scottish rugby team last Saturday, your correspondent was enjoying some pre-theatre pasta before sitting down to The Winslow Boy at the Birmingham Rep. The despondency at England's capitulation would come courtesy of iPlayer.

You might be kind enough to remember that your correspondent played the part of Sir Edward Morton in the Erdington Players' production of this play eleven months past. What, you'd forgotten/never knew/don't give a toss? Oh darling you cut me to the quick. Well anyway I took a particular interest in this production and felt a vague and unjustified ownership of the text. Self-important bollocks on my part of course, but, hey, a man has to dream.

This production is very good. So it should be because this is a seriously well-made play. I must sing in particular the praises of Aden Gillett as Arthur Winslow but on the topic of self-important bollocks said Mr Gillett is quoted thus in the programme by way of explanation of the play's currency:

For those of us who feel thwarted by Brexit and Trump, it is the sense of this vast mountain of injustice and pain that's affecting the western hemisphere that you feel you're powerless against. Particularly now, points of principle and fighting for what is right seem very important.

Crap. The play's messages have always been resonant. I despise Trump (what you hadn't noticed?) but voted for Brexit on a principle - the  very principle I learned as a lawyer and officer of the court and which marks Sir Edward as such a compelling character. You are allowed to disagree with me but this clumsy conflation of Trump and Brexit as twin pillars of ignorance is patronising. Stop it.