The Death of Nelson
A monodrama
Premiered at the Marlborough Theatre, Brighton, in 2003, The Death of Nelson was Robert Cohen's first one-man show.
Nothing to do with the monocular naval hero, it's a political tragicomedy set over 18 years between the high tide of Thatcherism and the early days of the New Labour "project". The Nelson in question is a boy named for Nelson Mandela by radical parents who attended university in the strife-torn days of the early '80s. There they met Richie, the show's protagonist. Initially more conservative than his firecely anti-Thatcherite friends, Richie grows more politically conscious over the ensuing years, even as his friends are becoming more comfy, more cosy and more accommodating to the status quo - ultimately accepting jobs in Tony Blair's business-friendly government.
The ups and downs of the three friends' relationship is tracked through a serious of dialogues between Richie and his offstage godson, Nelson.
The first performances were at the Marlborough Theatre, Brighton, in March 2003, with direction by Emma Gustafsson.
The show went on to be seen at various locations around the country over the following years, including the QEH Theatre in Bristol, the Barn Theatre at Smallhythe Place (NT) in Kent, and the 2006 Vauxhall Festival. In 2010, with New Labour on the way out and a brand new Monkeydog show (The Trials of Harvey Matusow) on the way in, The Death of Nelson received its last performance, for a group of visually impaired drama fans - and a stage-invading guide dog - at a community centre in Shoreham.
Nothing to do with the monocular naval hero, it's a political tragicomedy set over 18 years between the high tide of Thatcherism and the early days of the New Labour "project". The Nelson in question is a boy named for Nelson Mandela by radical parents who attended university in the strife-torn days of the early '80s. There they met Richie, the show's protagonist. Initially more conservative than his firecely anti-Thatcherite friends, Richie grows more politically conscious over the ensuing years, even as his friends are becoming more comfy, more cosy and more accommodating to the status quo - ultimately accepting jobs in Tony Blair's business-friendly government.
The ups and downs of the three friends' relationship is tracked through a serious of dialogues between Richie and his offstage godson, Nelson.
The first performances were at the Marlborough Theatre, Brighton, in March 2003, with direction by Emma Gustafsson.
The show went on to be seen at various locations around the country over the following years, including the QEH Theatre in Bristol, the Barn Theatre at Smallhythe Place (NT) in Kent, and the 2006 Vauxhall Festival. In 2010, with New Labour on the way out and a brand new Monkeydog show (The Trials of Harvey Matusow) on the way in, The Death of Nelson received its last performance, for a group of visually impaired drama fans - and a stage-invading guide dog - at a community centre in Shoreham.
PICTURES OF NELSON
Marlborough Theatre, Brighton, March 2003
The godfather: Richie (Robert Cohen) on a day out with Nelson
Talking to the infant Nelson
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Richie encounters the teenage Nelson in a London pub
Reflecting on the Labour election victory of 1997
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POSTER PARADE
Getting audiences for theatre is a challenge at the best of times, but it was particularlychallenging in the case of The Death of Nelson. Those who saw it were full of praise (not least The Graduate author Charles Webb - "A tour de force"), but getting people to come in the first place - to see a show about politics, written and performed by nobody off the TV - was an epic struggle. It may be noted that, as time went by, the posters featured less of the star and more of the political personalities who dominated the period covered by the show.
First outing, Brighton 2003
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Bristol, 2004
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Labour Party special, Sept. 2004
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