The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher review – Hilary Mantel tale is provocative, powerful theatre

Everyman theatre, Liverpool
Beginning as a culture clash comedy with cups of tea and deadly intent, this two-hander becomes boldly arresting

If you want someone to credit for the big laughs in the first half of this slippery production, look no further than Hilary Mantel. It was the Wolf Hall author who, in her 2014 short story, imagined a case of mistaken identity in a genteel Windsor home where a man presumed to be the plumber turned out to have a gun in his bag and his eye on the neighbouring hospital. Any minute now, the prime minister would emerge.

Exquisite in its economy, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher – August 6th 1983 found humour in a grim thought experiment. It was in the false sense of confidence in the first-time shooter, the odd juxtaposition of cups of tea and deadly intent, and the way the host had little tolerance for the Tory leader either. On stage, it is as if a taciturn Pinter hardman and a cheery Ayckbourn divorcee have accidentally wound up in the same play. The culture clash is funny.