Accidental Death of an Anarchist

If laughter is a form of protest, Accidental Death of an Anarchist is a full-blown revolution. In PIP Theatre’s locally adapted production of Dario Fo’s classic farce, the audience is invited to witness the unravelling of police corruption not through stern drama, but through manic energy, biting humour, and joyful absurdity. This is political theatre with a punk soul and a distinctly ‘Queensland’ flavour.

Adapted by Helen Strube and the team at PIP Theatre, and based on Ed Emery’s English translation, the script is a triumph of reinvention. Fo’s original satire about awful police misconduct in Italy in 1969 is reimagined in a Queensland context, with home-grown references and irreverent nods to local culture that land with delightful precision. The result is a fast-paced, feverishly funny interrogation of authority, justice, and the art of deception, where truth is as slippery as the Maniac’s many disguises.

That Maniac is played by Deidre Grace, who throws herself into the role with gusto. Her physical comedy is a particular highlight—especially one hilarious sequence involving a prosthetic hand that had the audience howling. While some line lapses interrupted the rhythm of the comedy in places, Grace’s commitment to the chaos and her elastic physicality made her performance memorable.

The ensemble surrounding her are uniformly strong. Rebel Star is well-cast as Superintendent Biscoff, combining a commanding presence with excellent comic rapport. Greg Scur’s Inspector Louis is all twitchy nerves and exaggerated pomposity, hitting the sweet spot between caricature and conviction. But it’s Izabela Wasilewska as Detective Hallaran who nearly walks away with the show. Whether firing off dialogue or reacting silently, she radiates comic skill and stage presence, never missing a beat, never dropping focus. Her performance is magnetic.

Dana Summer brings sparkle to the dual role of PC Sherbert, particularly shining in an anarchic dance number that breaks through the fourth wall and ramps up the energy. Isaiah Harrison, as the Journalist, grounds the show with a contrasting realism of performance, offering an outsider’s lens to the manic proceedings.

Director Calum Johnston embraces the play’s wildness with an eye for spectacle and a heart for satire. While some scenes edged toward too much looseness—momentarily sacrificing clarity for chaos—the overarching vision is cohesive, and the world he’s created is a playful, pointed circus of corruption. Johnston clearly understands the gravity beneath the humour, allowing the production to explore heavy themes of cover-ups, systemic abuse, and deaths in custody without losing its comic bite.

The production design also impresses. Costume designer Adelaide Lukin deserves special mention for dressing the Maniac in a series of delightfully unpredictable ensembles, while also giving the broader cast just the right touch of absurdity. Noah Milne’s lighting design is clever and crisp, supporting the farce with just the right visual punctuation.

What makes this show sing, beyond its script and performances, is its attention to detail in creating a full experience. From the rebellious punk playlist echoing through the foyer to the interactive entryway collage offering insight into real-life cases of injustice, this production knows that theatre starts long before the lights go down.

PIP Theatre’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist is a gutsy, gloriously unhinged ride. It’s political without being preachy, hilarious without being hollow. Audiences should expect mayhem, movement, and meaning (plus a fair amount of fake moustaches).

Kitty Goodall

Photography by PIF Productions