A Fine Idea review – international development drama laden with number-crunching

Arcola theatre, London
Despite some strong satire, there is too much telling and not enough showing in Christine Bacon’s play exploring global inequality

This play about the ethics of international development in the global south is a response to a book on world poverty. Playwright Christine Bacon, who is also co-artistic director of human rights theatre company ice&fire, has taken Jason Hickel’s The Divide to show how development agencies from the west may mean well but in practice can perpetuate inequality and suffering rather than alleviate it.

It suffers from a serious case of telling over showing. Statistics are put into the mouths of every actor. Character and story are sacrificed on the altar of information and argument.