Looking Backward - Edward Bellamy, 1888.

Edward Bellamy’s fantasy of a socialist utopia outlined in Looking Backward is, with hindsight, ambitious and a little naive, however his depth of research and impassioned critique of contemporaneous America provide much food for thought on our current economic system.

A political manifesto thinly veiled, though admittedly the romantic sub-plot entertains thoroughly, in fiction, Bellamy’s best-known work details the journey of a wealthy though not immoral man from Boston in 1887 to the same city at the dawn of the 21st century via a deep, 112 year long, sleep. Private enterprise has disappeared in the USA of 2000 where every man and woman from the age of 21 until 45 serves the “industrial army” in some way or form, as the state, the sole capitalist, provides for them, in complete equality. Crime and injustice are unheard of, as is, seemingly by consequence, unhappiness. The author reveals this fantasy through the lengthy conversations of his protagonist, accidental time traveller Julian West, and his newfound friend Dr. Leete, whose amiable family give the 19th century Bostonian all he requires following his obvious shock.

Bellamy’s recurring amazement throughout Looking Backward is directed at his fellow man, who it seems to him must merely co-operate with each other rather than compete in order to find true happiness. He reserves blame for this though, insisting instead that it is a mistake, a blunder of gigantic proportions that has set mankind on this path; when every man has a family to feed, it is not with malicious intent that he steals the bread from another’s grasp.

The novel’s publication led to the spawning of many socialist clubs devoted to propagating the author’s ideas, however, although Bellamy foresaw credit cards, covered shopping malls and the widespread use of the radio in Looking Backward, it is, alas, with regret that his more general world plan was not more effectively realised.

The Comedy of Errors - William Shakespeare, 1594.

Dir. Rebecca Gatward
London Globe Theatre, Wednesday 1st September 2010.

Often dismissed as his most light-hearted and trivial play, and therefore one of those least worth intellectual study, The Comedy of Errors proves over four centuries since its debut, that when writing purely for entertainment and not artistic merit, Shakespeare was very adept at entertaining the masses.
Testament to this is the wonderful Globe Theatre on London's South Bank. For a mere £5 one can stand in the "pit" and watch the world's best Shakespearian actors just metres away. On a warm September night this is most inviting, as the seasons change perhaps not, but who is to say that darker tragedies such as Hamlet and King Lear might be enhanced by a less inviting atmosphere.

In an RSC cast assembled by many faces recognisable through constant bit parts in Midsomer Murders, Lewis, Casualty and the like, a child-like enthusiasm for the slapstick humour of the late sixteenth century was executed perfectly. The play concerns a master and a servant, who arrive in Ephesus to face their identical twins, long since separated, who are also master and serf. Farcical scenes ensue, with Shakespeare's iron grip on the lexiconical playfulness of the English language proving sidesplitting to a modern day audience as it would have been when the bard himself was in the arena.

However, the masterstroke of the performance is the decision to cast only one actor each in the part of both twins, with the removal of a pair of spectacles the only clue to which sibling is being portrayed. The self-awareness and parody evident in the final scenes when it is necessary to have both twins on stage concurrently, with a most simple and playful device taking centre stage. The best night out you'll find for £5 anywhere in the country.