A Very Expensive Poison

by Lucy Prebble, Luke Harding (Source Material)

A shocking assassination in the heart of London. In a bizarre mix of high-stakes global politics and radioactive villainy, a man pays with his life.

At this time of global crises and a looming new Cold War, A Very Expensive Poison sends us careering through the shadowy world of international espionage from Moscow to Mayfair.

Lucy Prebble (Enron, The Effect) brings a shocking story to the stage, adapted from the book by Luke Harding, with an astute mix of real events, vaudeville and thriller.

This edition was published to coincide with the play's World Premiere at the Old Vic Theatre, London, in 2019.

Genres: Plays

128 pages, Paperback

Published February 24, 2020

About the author

Lucy Prebble is a British playwright. She is the author of the plays The Sugar Syndrome, The Effect and ENRON, and adaptation writer of the television series Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Reviews

[Harry McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A MASSIVE NUMBER SO EFFECTIVE IN ITS JOYOUS CHOREOGRAPHY THAT IT HAS US THOROUGHLY DISTRACTED.

The two assassins manage to escape underneath a big, high-kicking dance routine." - p. 109

That about sums it up. This was my favourite play of 2019.

This is Lucy Prebble's sprawling, hilarious, and ultimately incredibly moving dramatisation of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko by way of puppets, shadow-theatre, Fleetwood Mac and a barnstorming central romance between Alexander and his wife, Marina, who would fight tirelessly for justice. Prebble explodes the form of a detective story, collapsing the timelines onto each other as Litvinenko attempts to solve his own murder.

But it's more than that, because Prebble's play has waaaay too much going on to be accurately contained within a synopsis. It's a way to deonstrict the theatre itself. It's a criticism of late capitalism. It's a damning indictment of British justice and the incompetence of our politicians. It turns Putin into a Statler and/or Waldorf-style heckler. It's a love letter to the persistence of Marina Litvinenko. It's devastating in its emotional heft.

It's brilliant.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've now read all four of Prebble's plays, and this is more aligned with my least favorite of her previous efforts, Enron - being, like that one, a docudrama based around a complicated real historical event. It's a bit too dense for my taste, and I am not sure all the theatrical touches and humour enhance what is essentially a tragic tale. Still, hope to see it performed at some point, but has yet to make it to the US.

[Jonathan Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. It manages to take such a serious subject matter and present it with integrity, wit and humour. Putin as a pantomime villain works so well. I hope that one day I can see it staged. The final monologue, with the audience participation, was exceptionally powerful.

[massmarketbareback · Rating 5 out of 5]

i struggled (for the most part) to get enthusiastic about theatre last year. however there were two shining stars of my 2019 theatre going experience, this play was one of them. i remember coming out of this play and thinking this is the kind of work I want to make.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this like three times in the space of forty-eight hours: every single moment is perfectly calibrated, every character perfectly drawn, perfect in its theatricality. I had seen it at the Old Vic and loved it but thought the first act a little long; now I think its careful slowness a perfect set-up for the wild, driving ride of the second half.

[Rose Merritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t wowed by this play, perhaps because I’ve read quite a bit into the social and political chaos of Putin’s Russia. The storyline covers the basic narrative of true events, but I never found it going particularly deep. It’s hard to glean what the final message is apart from the bit of melodrama at the end. Would have LOVED to have seen Shearsmith’s Putin at the original premier last year at the Old Vic, but we can’t have everything. I appreciated the humor, even in the stage directions, but I was a tad disappointed overall.

[Jonny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this play in 2019 and it was great. Read it now as I’m writing an essay on it for my MA.

Reading the Putin scenes took me back to when Reece Shearsmith was delivering the lines and how wonderful that experience was as he’s one of my favourite writers/actors.

Reading the play, the bits I like I still liked but the bits I didn’t like when seeing it I didn’t like more. It’s such a complicated story to tell in a 3-hour play and as a result it has to lose a lot of nuance and detail which is my jam! Still a solid play though, might read the book it was based on for more details!

[Amy Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping, inventive, touching.
Incredibly well-researched, yet hard to trust. It's not the horror show of the Putin regime that I find hard to believe in, but good people.

Both theatrical and sincere, near perfect marriage of style and substance.

The farce feels a bit wrong, not because it shouldn't be farcical, but because it's the wrong kind of farce, like it gets Russian apathy right, but not the farce.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read plays so this was interesting. I'm familiar with Prebble's work on tv and it's great that her humor comes across here as well (down to the stage notes!). The play itself is a bit melodramatic with Putin as the puppetmaster villain but I liked the focus on the central relationships. Stylistically, I found the intertwining timelines to be well done and kept the play engaging. Would have loved to see it performed!

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was absolutely brilliant. Such a strong re-telling of the murder of Litvinenko, and I think Prebble has done a fantastic job of adapting Harding's book for the stage. I can imagine this would have been a really impressive play to see performed, and the stage directions turn it into such a lively and intricate narration of the events.

5/5 from me. Thoroughly enjoyed this play.

[Corey Terrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant, touching, gripping, emotional, funny read. Lucy Prebble is such a brilliant and insightful writer - those stage directions! I was sad to miss the performance but this was a great read.

[Alan Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funniest depiction of Stalin I have read. Would love to see it on stage at some point. Prebble's dialogue is just lush.

[Siouxsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. It is inspiring me to find out more about this case. Prebble has a brilliant, wild mind!

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably one of those plays that works better on stage than a n written form. On the page, it seems a bit disjointed. Still, an important story that should be told.

[Avery Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5
My prof recommended this to me and it is so good and suspenseful

[Quenton Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Lucy Prebble joint but it still slaps. Also, Putin figuratively and literally steals the show.

[Ysobel Lloyd Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Putin tries and tries to control the narrative but is ultimately bested by a woman who wasn’t really trying that hard to beat him. We can dream.

[Roseanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

i quite enjoyed this. thought it was very interesting and i’ve really enjoyed prebbles plays that i have read

[Kerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and an important story to tell but reading it I wasn't entertained.
Though plays are not meant to be read, they are meant to be watched. I would most certainly go see this performance.