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Mulling Over Mullin - A Walk On Part

Tony McNulty reviews Chris Mullin's dramatisation at Soho Theatre.

By Tony McNulty

30 Nov 2011, 10:00

Last Thursday I had a great evening at the Soho Theatre watching  ‘A Walk On Part’, Michael Chaplin’s adaptation of the diaries of Chris Mullin, MP for Sunderland South from 1987-2010. The play is faithful to the diaries, but in a way that brings them alive and proves to be both entertaining and moving, often at the same time. Max Roberts’ intelligent, sharp and understated direction has the five actors on the stage for the entire play – giving voice to 58 different named characters and many others. In addition to the wonderful performance by John Hodgkinson, as he captures the voice and essence of Chris Mullin, the cast - Sara Powell, Tracy Gilman, Hywel Morgan and Jim Kitson – all remind us what good acting should be.  The way in which they give voice to Mullin’s friends and family, to his constituents, to a range of MP and other Parliamentary colleagues and to the many others that feature in the dairies is quite breathtaking. They resist the temptation of mere mimicry and showmanship but when Tony Blair, John Prescott or any other of the dizzying array of MPs and Cabinet Ministers are on stage, you know clearly who it is. Equally, when the voices are less well-known – the refugee from the Ukraine, the local head teacher, the local factory owner –   you recognise them and you know that they matter just as much, if not more.

This is a pacy production which never loses focus and captures the self-deprecation and humour that permeate the diaries and Mullin’s humanity as a politician, especially when dealing with his constituents. The angst and despair when he finds he has exhausted attempts to help an asylum seeker, his delight at some new investment in his constituency and his urge to ‘matter’, all ring true. Whilst it is fashionable to traduce or belittle the functions of   MPs and their impact at a local level – Mullin’s joy in dealing with things local is a good antidote. He was under no illusion about his ability to deliver for his constituents and if he couldn’t help, he would say so – and would often slink away bemoaning his inadequacies but never bemoaning his local role.

The play also captures, as the diaries do, the poignant way that his family life is inextricably linked and interwoven with his role as MP – and how, like many others, he sometimes forgot about the toll on his immediate family. The way in which he sometimes cannot help but contrast the well-being of his family, especially his children, with the many horrors that he had to deal with both as MP and  minister, reinforces his humanity. His joy in watching his two daughters grow is very well captured in the play. Mullin and his wife, Ngoc, are increasingly aware of the potential end of his parliamentary career and these discussions are dealt with in a very moving way. The audience cannot help but be moved as he realises, with a catch in his throat, that his decision to retire at the 2010 election means that his eldest daughter would not have the chance to vote for her Dad.

All politicians worry about their impact and their legacy – they are at the heart of their reasons for going into politics in the first place – and should not be automatically condemned for this. The way that Mullin wrestles with his ability to make decisions at all as a Junior Minister in Prescott’s Environment, Transport and the Regions department also rings true. Sadly though, he goes too far in denigrating the role. Yes, ministerial roles can mean being stranded in a quagmire of impenetrable dross and endless letter-signing, but they also allow for greater influence and decision-making, and indeed, it remains, or should remain, a real privilege to serve. Often, and especially at junior level, it is the way the minister does the job they have been given that ensures influence or impact. It is a weakness of the diaries that Mullin, having longed for office for such a time, denigrates it almost instantly in the way that he does. Not everyone can go straight into Cabinet, not everyone is a star – junior ministerial roles do matter. Notwithstanding this, the humorous and self-deprecating way in which his describes life in his various ministerial guises is hugely entertaining – and is captured brilliantly in this play.

Politics often throws up some strange friendships and aficionados will, perhaps, find Mullin’s ongoing friendship with Nicholas Soames MP – a quintessential Tory toff and grandson of Winston Churchill, to be odd. Many will also find his obvious admiration for and friendship with Tony Blair, ‘the Man’, strange – but it convinces in both the play and the diaries. But Mullin had been one of  Tony Benn’s ‘vicars upon earth’ in the 1980s, wrote the pamphlet ‘How to deselect your MP’ and was also seen to be on the rigid, if not hard, left of the Parliamentary Labour Party. He was an unlikely candidate for the post of confidante to Blair, the high priest of the New Labour project. The relationship presents as a very real one, with both men providing ample and frequent disappointment in each other.

The play closes with Mullin’s valedictory speech in the House of Commons – which is reproduced in full in the actual diaries. He knew and understood the limitations of modern politics. He also knew and understood that, notwithstanding what he saw as the catastrophe of Iraq, the achievements of the three Labour governments from 1997-2010 were ‘considerable’ – especially for his constituents. The speech is an excellent summary of his time in the House – and captures his mixed feelings about the decision to leave. In advice to the coming generation of politicians, he had one message, ‘take Parliament seriously.’ He should take comfort from the evidence to date that indicates many new MPs – particularly on the Government benches, are doing just that – ably assisted by Speaker Bercow.

Mullin ends the speech saying that the “great thing about democracy is that, although harsh things are sometimes said, we are not actually trying to kill each other. Differences are ultimately resolved at the ballot box.” John Hodgkinson replays the intense emotion with which Mullin delivered the speech. His ambivalence is clear - “Leaving now is either the best thing I have ever done or the biggest mistake of my life. At this point, I have no idea which.” One can only wonder if he can yet answer this question, but, thanks to Chris Mullin, the diaries and the play will help people to understand how important Parliament should be – and all who love democracy should be duly grateful.