December 18, 2024
Nye
Starring Michael Sheen, written by Tim Price, directed by Rufus Norris
A topical, interesting, nourishing story about the man behind the U.K.'s National Healthcare System.
Culture • Theater
Mood: Inspired, nostalgic
Music: Get Happy by Judy Garland
Snack: Afternoon Tea
Quote: “Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay, nor an offence for which they should be penalised, but a misfortune the cost of which should be shared by the community.” - Aneurin Bevin
I've watched Nye twice now. It stars Michael Sheen playing Aneurin Bevan, the Welsh minister of health and housing that created the National Healthcare System in 1948. It's honestly such a good play. It was so, just, historically interesting. Clever dialogue. Michael Sheen is brilliant.
Teared up during the scene where Nye's just accepted the position of Minister of Health and Housing, and a crowd of people were projected onto the curtain behind him and explaining their harrowing stories - lack of healthcare access, poor conditions, town and hospital outbreaks - all begging for his help.
The most powerful scene though was when Nye announced he would be implementing the NHS with or without the doctors, after having been rejected twice by the British Medical Association for their support. It was a radical, strategic move - so exhilarating to watch, the way it was done on stage, and so inspiring as a true story.
And of course we can't forget the scene of Nye as a child, his friend introducing him to libraries and their subsequent sheer excitement over its existence. Fuck yeah libraries!
Go sign up for a month’s subscription to the National Theater at Home and watch it!