Hilary Mantel's Thatcher assassination story debuts on stage in Liverpool
A stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's controversial short story 'The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher' has premiered at the Liverpool Everyman theatre, running until 23 May. The play, adapted by Alexandra Wood, imagines a sniper plotting to kill the former prime minister in 1983. Mantel, who died in 2022, wrote the story in 2014 after spotting Thatcher from her Windsor flat. The production explores violence against politicians, disenfranchisement, and political division. Former Conservative candidate Jade Marsden criticized the play amid rising political tensions. Director John Young notes the relevance given recent assassination attempts, including against Donald Trump. Wood emphasizes the drama does not advocate violence but examines how people respond to powerlessness.
Key facts
- Stage premiere at Liverpool Everyman theatre until 23 May
- Adapted by playwright Alexandra Wood
- Based on Hilary Mantel's 2014 short story
- Set in 1983, features a sniper from Liverpool
- Mantel won the Booker Prize twice for Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies
- Story originally provoked criticism from Lord Tebbit and Bernard Ingham
- Play examines violence against politicians and political division
- Director John Young cites recent assassination attempts as context
Entities
Artists
- Hilary Mantel
- Alexandra Wood
- John Young
- Robbie O'Neil
- Anita Reynolds
Institutions
- Liverpool Everyman
- BBC
- Conservative Party
- IRA
Locations
- Liverpool
- Liverpool, England
- Windsor
- Brighton
- United Kingdom