''The Moment of Truth'' is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

written in 1951, telling the story of a

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

on the brink of defeat, while facing the threat of a political crisis with a crippled government structure. Ustinov wrote the play inspired by French President

Marshal Petain Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used f ...

, his political relationship with Nazi Germany and the events surrounding the creation of

Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

. The play was first premiered at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

, Adelphi in 1951. The play was revived in 2013 at the

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a h ...

Newington Causeway __NOTOC__ Newington Causeway is a road in Southwark, London, between the Elephant and Castle and Borough High Street. Elephant & Castle Underground station is at the southern end. It follows the route of the old Roman road Stane Street. In 19 ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

by ''The New Actors Company''. The production was directed by ''Rob Laycock'', and opened on 26 June 2013 and closed on 20 July 2013 after 26 performances.

Plot summary

Act One The play opens with the anonymous Prime Minister, his Foreign Minister and General inside the cabinet office, their country on the verge of defeat as they wait for the Victor to arrive to accept their surrender. When the Victor arrives, instead of surrendering to him, they negotiate a deal to form a puppet government, where both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister remain in power. To give legitimacy to this new government, the Prime Minister and his co-conspirators use a highly revered military hero, the retired Marshal, as the dictator of the country behind which they hide and use him as a puppet. Act Two Four years later, the General overthrows the Marshal and his puppet government, eventually liberating the Republic from foreign rule. Following a brief trial, the Marshal is sent to a remote prison. His daughter (The Girl), a Nurse and a Photographer stand by him.

Characters

; The Marshal: An older, retired military hero who is mostly senile due to his mental condition. He often provides the comic relief in the story. ; The Prime Minister: Also an older man, who has memory problems due to his advanced age. He uses the Marshal to keep himself in power. ; The General: The head of the Republic's armed forces, he later overthrows the puppet dictatorship and liberates the country. ; The Girl: Daughter of the Marshal. Unlike all the other characters, she is only one who is named. She has 13 different names including Beatrice and Cordelia. ; The Victor: The leader of the enemy country hostile to the Republic. He later agrees to the Prime Minister's plan for a puppet government. ; The Photographer: He captures the daily life moments of Marshal, which can be later used by the press whatever way they want. ; The Nurse: She takes care of Marshal. She stands by him even during his imprisonment. ; The Foreign Minister: The co-conspirator of the Prime Minister who helped form the plan to use the Marshal as their puppet dictator.

Revival

In June 2013, the play was revived by ''The New Actors Company'' and performed at the

Cast of 2013 Revival

Rodney Bewes Rodney Bewes (27 November 1937 – 21 November 2017) was an English television actor and writer who portrayed Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom ''The Likely Lads'' (1964–66) and its colour sequel ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' ...

- The Marshal *

Miles Richardson Miles Richardson (born 15 July 1963) is a British actor, born in Battersea, London to parents Ian Richardson (the well-known Shakespearean actor) and Maroussia Frank (daughter of dancer and critic Elizabeth Frank), both founder members of th ...

- The Prime Minister * Bonnie Wright - The Girl * Callum Coates - The General * Damian Quinn - The Victor * Mark Carey - The Foreign Minister * Toni Kanal - The Nurse * Daniel Souter - The Photographer

Film adaptation

The play was adapted as a

TV film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

for the

Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

, a long-running series of televised plays created by

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Plot summary

Characters

Revival

Cast of 2013 Revival

Film adaptation

References

External links