The Liverpool Everyman Strikes Gold With a Sharp, Funny and Gripping Political Thriller

The Liverpool Everyman Strikes Gold With a Sharp, Funny and Gripping Political Thriller

“Funny, thought-provoking, tense and visually stunning from beginning to end — another huge success for the Liverpool Everyman.”

The Liverpool Everyman Theatre has once again proven why it remains one of the finest theatres in the country with Alexandra Wood’s gripping adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s short story The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher. Directed brilliantly by John Young, this production is funny, thought-provoking, tense and visually stunning from beginning to end.

Running at the Liverpool Everyman from 2nd May to 23rd May 2026, this bold stage adaptation places the audience inside a modest Windsor flat during the Thatcher years, cleverly mixing political tension with sharp humour and deeply human conversations. What could easily have become heavy or overly serious instead feels lively, witty and incredibly entertaining throughout.

Robbie O’Neill is outstanding as Brendan, delivering a performance full of nervous energy, dry humour and simmering intensity. His comic timing is excellent, but it is the quieter moments where he truly shines — allowing the audience to see the fear, frustration and conflict bubbling underneath the surface. Brendan could easily have been played as a caricature, but O’Neill gives him humanity, charm and unpredictability in equal measure.

Anita Reynolds is equally captivating as Caroline. She commands the stage with warmth, wit and emotional depth, grounding the production with a wonderfully natural performance. Reynolds moves effortlessly between sharp humour and moments of emotional honesty, making Caroline feel authentic and relatable throughout. The chemistry between both actors is exceptional, and their dialogue feels fast-paced, believable and genuinely alive.

The staging inside the Everyman is outstanding. With the audience surrounding the set in a striking 180-degree layout, you feel completely immersed in the action unfolding inside the Windsor flat. The detailed set design gives the production an authentic lived-in feel, helping every conversation and confrontation feel intimate and real.

Special praise must go to the technical side of the production. The lighting, sound and smoke effects are used brilliantly to shift the mood from dark comedy to nerve-shredding tension within seconds. In the second half, the eerie projection of Margaret Thatcher’s unmistakable hair and eye line suddenly appears looming over the stage — a simple but incredibly powerful visual moment that adds real shock and unease.

The sound design also deserves recognition, building suspense at exactly the right moments while still allowing the witty dialogue and humour to breathe naturally.

What makes this play so successful is its balance. One moment the audience is laughing loudly at the razor-sharp humour, the next there is complete silence as the darker themes begin to emerge — with a few genuine shocks that had people visibly jumping in their seats.

Instead of just telling a political story, the play gets into themes of power, class and loneliness through clever writing and very real conversations between the characters. Alexandra Wood has done a fantastic job bringing Hilary Mantel’s story to the stage while keeping the sharp edge and dark humour that makes it so gripping.