Tiger Country

Nina Raine’s play about the NHS at first seems like Casualty 3D on stage, but as it progresses interesting and important issues are discussed. By the end, though, I’m afraid I was left deeply depressed with genuine feelings of hopelessness (though it’s only fair to say that this may in part have something to do with my disposition).

What it tells us is that the NHS is a shit place to work and a shit place to be treated. The leadership and managerial skills of the doctors are prehistoric. The organisation is a shambles. Work in it or use its services at your peril. On the way home, I was congratulating myself for keeping up my increasingly exorbitant BUPA membership.

It seemed very believable, though I don’t know how much of it could be true. I suspect only part of it, but a significant part. To concentrate largely poor practice and experience into 120 minutes clearly exaggerates the reality. I felt like we’d thrown a shit load of money at the NHS and just made it worse.

Hampstead Theatre has been transformed to create a very realistic hospital with double-door entrances for trolleys and beds. There are projections on the walls, including images of the bits in staged operations that aren’t happening but you would see if they were, which I wasn’t sure were entirely necessary.  The staging is very well paced and slick and the performances are all good.

As theatre, it is to be admired, but for me it just presents the problems and issues without any discussion of the reasons and possible solutions – hence the hopelessness. I don’t regret going, though maybe I went on the wrong night. It held my attention, it certainly made me think, I admired the stagecraft and acting, but the lasting feeling will still be hopelessness.