Stuff Happens

David Hare's Stuff Happens is a profound literary work of historic and political significance. Hare is able to craft a drama from the historic record that not only reflects the complexity and subtle manipulations that occurred around the US's invasion of Iraq, but also is able to develop a compelling drama around the character of Colin Powell and his struggle to bring some glimpse of reality into a White House dominated by reactionary and rigid ideological dogma. Very few works of literature are able to fully capture the complexity of a historic or political event. Hilary Mantel is able to capture the reign of terror in A Place of Greater Safety and Gore Vidal is able to capture the character of a great president in Lincoln, but Hare must be added to the list of great writers who are able to capture complexity and yet retain a narrative thread. In the short play, we see behind the scenes as President Bush makes poor decisions as he listens to the advice of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Cheney is probably the darkest character in the play. He is highly manipulative and Hare's narrative would indicate that Cheney knew much of the information fed to the US public was false information so as to be able to invade and maintain continued occupational forces in Iraq. There were many reasons to attack Iraq, such as their support for Palestinian suicide bombers, to protect Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan; or to protect Israel. Hare never tries t pull it all into a simple package for he recognizes the issues are multi-factorial in origin. The character of Colin Powell is crucial to the drama for as Secretary of State he must deal with the world and world opinion and try to serve a President who is influenced by Rumsfeld and Chaney into unilateral action, as if he were ruling by divine right. We see the tragedy unfolding gradually. It is not until Tony Blair asks for back up that we see that Rumsfeld and Cheney are total unilateralists with totally unrealistic views of American power. I hope that the play is brought back to the stage or put on film for it is compelling entertainment that is more frightening than any monster movie ever could be.

British playwright David Hare's play about the buildup for the invasion of Iraq by the United States, Britain and some token allies, centers on the public pronouncements of the major players, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and others. Hare simply quotes Bush, Blair, et al. while constructing dialogue for the meetings that were private. He writes in an Author's Note: "Nothing in the narrative is knowingly untrue." The result is an easy to read, easy to imagine bit of theater that underscores the mendacity and stupidity of our highest officials. How this would look on stage is left pretty much up to those who produce the play which opened at the Olivier auditorium of the National Theatre September 1, 2004. Actors are used to introduce the player about to speak, often serving as a narrative chorus. Thus, opening Scene Eight, "An Actor" says, "On September 17th the President signs an executive order authorising attacks on Afghanistan. Three days later he addresses Congress:" And then the actor playing Bush steps forward and speaks his line. Because the action moves between the White House and London, between Paris and the United Nations building in New York and elsewhere, the audience needs to be clued in some way that the scene and players have changed. Not having seen the play performed I imagine that part of the stage can be lighted while the rest is in darkness so that props indicating the next scene are set up. And then the lighting is switched, directing the audience's attention. Or in some cases players could just step forward into the spotlight to deliver their lines. The effect of this kind of play, in which the scenery and settings are minimal, is to increase the importance of the dialogue which makes the play easy to read since little in the way of visual imagination is required on the part of the reader. Colin Powell comes across as the protagonist, the man who compromises himself because he is caught between doing what he knows is right and his loyalty to his country and its institutions, especially in the form of George W. Bush, the President. Bush, contrary to the popular understanding in which is he often seen as the dupe of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, et al., in this play often seems to be a manipulator, off to the side observing the machinations of his cabinet, making sure they say what he wants to hear. This, I believe, is partly an artifice of play that results because Hare has so much dialogue from so many players, and partly because Bush is not especially articulate and so ends up listening a lot until he elects to make his decision about what is to be done. One can see that Bush imagines himself as someone taking careful counsel and then like superman becoming the man of action, as he terms himself, in the form of "the decider." Tony Blair seems like a man who got himself into a difficult situation for no apparent reason. Condi Rice seems more like a

The title of this decidedly anti-war play sets the stage for its theme: Asked about the looting of Baghdad, a glib Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, remarks, "Stuff happens". In the play, a core group of presidential advisors gathers, discussing a strategy for unseating Iraq's Saddam Hussein, coupling this concept with the protection of America from further terrorist attacks, such as 9/11. Carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages, paper warriors assemble behind closed doors in a series of clandestine meetings. The result will shock the world, the birth of the Doctrine of Preemptive Strike. Caught in the "lethal rhetoric of global wealth and privilege", the discussions yield a number of assumptions; right or wrong, these assumptions will remain a footnote to history, the cause taking on a life of its own. An impressive cast of characters assembles: the Neo-cons, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice; the Brits: Tony Blair, Jack Straw, David Manning; the French, Jacques Chirac, Dominique de Villepin, Jean-David Levitte; the temporary voice of reason, Colin Powell; and the bit players, Hans Blix, Kofi Annan, Mohammed ElBaradei. The dialog goes on, endless ruminations broken only by short breaks for refreshment. Though nothing specific is articulated at this point in the play, events are set in motion, the majority of characters of the same mind. Adamant that military action is the method of last resort, the players perform a shadow dance, Kabuki Theater, their silence impregnable. Deals are made, Tony Blair mollified. Secretary of State Powell is the singular voice of reason, given to practicality where the others imagine a more ambitious goal. But Powell capitulates and the great experiment grinds into high gear. The public demands action, reaction, desperate for a salve to heal a bleeding and humiliated psyche. America signs on for a war that promises quick, deadly efficiency, convinced we are in an untenable situation that can be alleviated by the invasion of Baghdad, that only a battle joined on foreign soil will forestall another domestic attack. Public debate is nominal and weighted in favor of a preventive strike, the media virtually silent; obscured by sturm and drang, the confident counselors of a war president wax eloquent in defense of their position. David Hale brilliantly structures this great debacle, arrogant assumptions in pursuit of an idea, an ideal opportunity to change the face of the Arab world or "throw a match into the tinderbox and see what happens". Hare's characters prove that there are neither checks nor balances, the single voice of dissent importuned until even he assumes the cloak of expediency. All is achieved with a few key characters and a supporting cast, much of the language quoted verbatim. Rumsfeld and Cheney are avidly supported by a caustic Wolfowitz and fawning Rice, speaking for the President, who remains taciturn, if vigilant. Bush's quietude carries a weight of its own, as fearso

I enjoyed David Hare's documentary play very much. Though I found it unusually disjointed, it is probably much more palatable when it is performed, and what still compelled me to give it my highest rating is the content, being the many outrageous and surreal statements made by W, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Powell, Blair, et al, as well as depictions of meetings and events, all gathered together in one place, which really helps you appreciate the systematic deception presented to the American and British people. In the Author's Note, Hare states that most events and quotes are authentic, and he thanks his sources. My guess is that he received a great deal of help/material/insight from Colin Powell, whose recollection of events is of interest. A quick but chilling read.

This is an excellent play and a fascinating read. It puts all the threads of the buildup to the Iraq war in one place, and even offers insight into the possible reasons for British Priminister Tony Blair's complicity in the American administration's scheme. I highly recommend Stuff Happens.