Hywel Morgan, Colin Tierney and Alan Cox in The Gang of Three [Manuel Harlan]

THE GANG OF THREE
King’s Head Theatre
☆☆☆

Set during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky’s engaging political drama explores a pivotal chapter in the history of the Labour Party, conveying the internal struggle of three men as they attempt to shape its ideological direction.

When Harold Wilson resigned as prime minister in 1976 Tony Crosland (Alan Cox), Denis Healey (Colin Tierney) and Roy Jenkins (Hywel Morgan) all stood for the leadership – and lost.

The Gang of Three opens just after Wilson announces his shock resignation, leaving a power vacuum in the Labour government. The cabinet heavyweights meet to discuss who should succeed him.

All three were contemporaries at Oxford. Crosland and Jenkins, one misjudged flashback suggests, may have been lovers. But political ambition gets in the way of their friendships.

Over 90 minutes, The Gang of Three follows the men’s machinations and demonstrates how, by refusing to concede to each other, they contributed to the stalemate that paved the way for eighteen years of Conservative rule.

Jenkins is perhaps the most interesting. As home secretary in the late 1960s, he was instrumental in driving though the legalisation of abortion and homosexuality. He was pro-Europe when many in the Labour party were not. The play traces his journey to co-found the Social Democratic Party in 1981, becoming its first leader.

It’s beautifully acted under Kirsty Patrick Ward’s assured direction and Libby Watson’s set and costumes effortlessly recreate the period. There’s also humour and a playful soundtrack, but it never really gripped me – this verbose play may be better suited to radio.

Until June 1
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