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THE PERMANENT WAY. By David Hare. Directed by Max Stafl'ord-Clark. National Theatre, London. 13 January 2004.
David Hare's The Permanent Way uses the ancient form of the choral poem to present a contemporary problem-the deterioration of England's rail system. In this production by Out of Joint and the National Theatre, director Max Stafford-Clark uses an ensemble of nine actors to play fifty characters. Collage-like scenes depict the dramatic decline of what was formerly British Rail. Based on extensive interviews, the work engages with the controversy from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders-commuters, bureaucrats, line workers, managers, executives, and, most poignantly, survivors of train accidents. The play's opening sparked a revival of debate about the railroads and the announcement by Britain's transport minister of another review of the system.
The Permanent Way begins with impatient passengers, waiting at a station, reading and re-reading newspapers. Their complaints point to a systemic breakdown and evoke a mood of desperation. One commuter cynically compares the rail system to conditions in nineteenth-century Russia. Another observes that ninety-nine percent of London Underground workers have been violently attacked and argues that such actions are the only satisfaction for frustrated travelers. Several speculate on the likelihood of dying in a train crash.
Subsequent scenes chronicle events during and after privatization of the railroads in 1997. British Rail was broken into separate components: (1) rolling stock companies that owned the equipment, (2) passenger service franchises that leased and operated the trains, and (3) a track management company, Railtrack, which subcontracted work on the...