"Accidental Death of an Anarchist"

August 13, 2015 — In 1969, Italian railwayman and anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli fell (or was thrown) to his death from the fourth floor window of a Milan police station. He was being interrogated for bombing a bank but was cleared of the charge. Not the sort of event you would expect a playwright to base a comedy on, but that's exactly what Dario Fo did in 1970 in "Accidental Death of an Anarchist," just one year after the incident, portraying the police in very unflattering light and bringing threats of violence against his theater company. But he soldiered on, staging his play all over Italy, and it became a worldwide hit.

The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, New Hampshire, has staged an excellent production of Fo's play, translated by Ed Emery and directed for the Playhouse by Matt Cahoon. A. J. Ditty is the whole show in his over-the-top performance as 'The Maniac." An inmate of a series of mental institutions, he has the inept police department flummoxed as he poses as a judge investigating the death of the anarchist who mysteriously plunged from the police station window. Appearing as the police are Jason Plourde, Richard Brundage, Nicholas Wilder and John-Michael Breen. Rebecca Tucker appears late in the final act as a journalist.

The 45-year-old play, although uproariously funny, contains some sharp social commentary that could still make some uncomfortable today. It's not above employing occasional slapstick, and breaking out in song and a brief dance now and them.

The play traditionally has two endings, and the audience is invited to choose the one they like best. The Winnipesaukee Playhouse has chosen not to give the audience this choice, and the play stops short of the two endings, giving it a slightly abrupt finish and a feeling of incompleteness. But up until then, it's a tour de force.