False note

Blackbird is the kind of play critics absolutely adore. Indeed, the reason it has managed to secure a berth in the West End — a rarity for a new straight play — is that it got such rave reviews at Edinburgh last year. For one thing, it’s about paedophilia, and that enables the critics to congratulate the writer, David Harrower, on his ‘bold’ choice of subject matter. They like playwrights who don’t pander to commercial interests — it demonstrates how serious they are about their craft. In addition, Harrower’s attitude to paedophilia is complex and nuanced — he refuses to condemn the middle-aged perpetrator, even though his victim was only 12 when he had sex with her. That’s guaranteed to produce a chorus of approval from the critics — Harrower is even more ‘courageous’ than they first took him for, if that’s possible. Best of all, it provides them with an excuse to distance themselves from the ‘tabloid hysteria’ that normally surrounds the treatment of this ‘difficult’ subject.