rashbre central: An Audience with Jimmy Savile at the Assembly

Wednesday 12 August 2015

An Audience with Jimmy Savile at the Assembly


We decided to see 'An Audience with Jimmy Savile' which features a very realistic Jimmy Savile portrayed by Alistair McGowan. It has been set in the 1980s, featuring a TV show interview when Savile was at the height of his fame, and then incorporates the various sordid back-stories, but still prior to the main disclosures.

There's accolades from the likes of Margaret Thatcher juxtaposed with a composite victim story being investigated by the police. Savile is presented both as a jester television personality and as a ruthless backstage villain who uses his power and force to deflect truth.

He is shown as manipulative with little real regard for his public as he climbs the celebrity pole.

Jonathan Maitland's play was to a full house and raises many of the obvious questions but also draws out the different establishment conventions of the 1980s when much of the original investigations were being conducted.

Some say this shouldn't have been made, but I think it digs into broader societal taboos from the era.

An obscene bruiser thug in a shiny tracksuit clown costume. Chilling.

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