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- [00:00]
Andrew Muller
You're listening to the Monocle Daily, first broadcast on 13 April 2026 on Monocle Radio.
- [00:06]
The United States tries to out blockade. Iran's blockade. Could Cuba be next? And should we be resurrecting the dead with AI? I'm Andrew Muller. The Monocle Daily starts now. Hello and welcome to the Monocle D coming to you from our studios here at Midori House in London, I'm Andrew Muller. My guests, Oscar Guadiola Rivera and Latika Burke will discuss today's big stories. And we'll hear from the theatre critic Matt Wolfe about what last night's Olivier Awards reveal about the current state of British theatre. Stay tuned. All that and more coming up right here on the Monocle Daily. This is the Monocle Daily. I'm Andrew Muller and I am joined today by Oscar Guardiola Rivera, professor in International Law and International affairs at Birkbeck College, and Latika Burke, writer at large for the Australian news publication, the Nightly. Hello to you both.
- [01:11]
Hello, Andrew Muller.
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Great to be here, Oscar. First of all, you, I believe, are shortly going to attempt to go to the United States. So on behalf of all our listeners, it's been nice knowing you.
- [01:22]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
I know I should say goodbye just because you never heard of me again. If anything happens, I will give them your number, please.
- [01:29]
Andrew Muller
What is it that you're going to attempt to do? Assuming you get past passport control?
- [01:34]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
This is a book tour for my latest book, which is titled A Hopeful Political Imagination. We need a lot of that.
- [01:44]
Andrew Muller
They're not going to like that.
- [01:46]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
That's an interesting group of people there whom I think we need a bit of hope. They certainly need it.
- [01:54]
Andrew Muller
Well, indeed. Would you like to offer us a precis of the book? What is it actually about? We will have you on at a later juncture to talk about it in greater detail. But what's the pitch?
- [02:03]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
The book is part a memoir about how does it feel to grow up, you know, at the height of a war, as it happened in Colombia, my home country. And the other part is the story of a group of black Caribbean poets who witnessed the rise of fascism in Europe in the 40s and devised a way to resist it, at least through poetry.
- [02:27]
Andrew Muller
Well, more about that at a later juncture and I look forward to reading it. Latika, you are recently back from Paris and Amsterdam.
- [02:35]
Yes, it was a lovely trip, the Eurostar. I mean, I just love train travel. In this world of flight travel, Andrew, that's the first thing I'll say.
- [02:42]
Does it not still seem weird to you, though? Because it does to me as an Australian, that you just think, hang on, I was on a train for two hours and now I'm in a whole other country.
- [02:50]
Well, it's even weirder when you come back from the Netherlands because you go through several countries.
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I know.
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Yes.
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You can't get from one side of Sydney to the other by train in two hours.
- [02:58]
It weirds me out every single time. And there's still a childish, joyous glee that I experience when it happens. Interesting trip in Paris. I was there discussing with some figures what the French might do on an EU Australia trade deal, which has just been announced after a long, long, long time. Some optimistic signs, Andrew. It looks like the French government may actually back that in.
- [03:22]
Okay.
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Which would be really, really huge. The French Trade Minister is travelling to Australia this weekend and we do expect him to come out and say that he would support that. And for the French to shift and say to their own population, who are not known for peaceful dis. Displays of resistance, that they are going to accept willingly Australian beef into their market after having signed Mercosur with the eu. I think that's a pretty significant shift we're seeing from Mr. Mackhorn in the dying days of his presidency. And in Amsterdam, well, a really interesting trip. I was there to attend the opening of the Australian company DroneShield, which is a darling of Australia's startup defence sector. They began counter drone tech in 2012, so keep that in mind. This is before Crimea, and they've just gone exponential in the last year. Particularly now, 70% of their market is European. I asked them as Aussies, why on earth they'd set up on the Continent instead of London. And they did say, we thought London would be our natural home for Europe, but unfortunately there's this thing called Brexit and we want the single market and we want the EU's rearmament funding. So I guess a good week for the eu.
- [04:37]
The gift that keeps on giving. Yes. We will start with the weekend's attempts to end hostilities between the United States and Iran with talks in Islamabad, which, despite the famous persuasive charm of U.S. vice President J.D. vance, which helped make Viktor Orban what he is today, that is unemployed, did not forge a lasting peace in the Persian Gulf. Instead, an alleged US blockade of Iran's ports has been underway for the last three hours or so. And President Donald Trump has posted online an AI generated image image of himself as Jesus Christ, an apparent salvo in his escalating row with Pope Leo xiv. We will get onto that Shortly, Oscar, and the attendant threats to establish some sort of 21st century Avignon Papacy. But the talks in Islamabad, were they ever going to work?
- [05:28]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
Look, as someone who has had experience in peace talks and negotiations, if you send JD Banson, two real estate people
- [05:39]
Andrew Muller
to try, one of whom, in fairness has the added qualification of literally being the president's son in law, you could say that.
- [05:48]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
And if they tried to do something like what took the Obama administration, what was it back in 2019, two years and a half, they tried to do it in 21 hours, it would be hard to think that they were taking those talks seriously. They were, I don't know, perhaps a stopover or something of the sort. I don't think they were designed to progress.
- [06:18]
Andrew Muller
That said Latika, were the Iranians trying that hard? Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi has said agreements, agreement rather was inches away. But that does sound rather like the sort of thing you say when you're trying to hope everyone will blame America.
- [06:31]
It's very hard to trust and believe what either side says. But I do think the tone is significant. It's not. We're coming all going blazing out again. Are either side saying that? No. So I do think there is still some room here and I think this is far from over. Now, Donald Trump has just been holding a press conference, Andrew, and he has said that Iran's been back in touch this morning asking for a deal and that he, as US President will agree to a deal that involves Iran giving up nuclear weapons. If that's the sticking point. No president has achieved this before. Can Trump? I'm not 100% sure he can't. But it's, you know, it is unlikely, isn't it?
- [07:17]
But is it also not less likely, Oscar, that Iran will forswear all its nuclear ambitions given recent events? Because it must surely have occurred to at least some people in whoever, whatever currently represents Iranian high command that if we'd had nuclear weapons in the first place, they wouldn't have attacked us.
- [07:37]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
It's inevitable to think that way, in fact. Well, you mentioned Abbas Arakchi. He did say that in reference, precisely to this point, there were shifting sign goalposts on behalf of the Americans. And they have also said repeatedly that they're not ready to relinquish their right to enrich uranium, not necessarily because they don't want to or they would like to acquire atomic weapons, but mainly because these are the words, because they're ready to demonstrate to the world that they're not going to be told what to do. And yes. Given the current context, it would be difficult to think that, you know, ready though they may be to negotiate, they'll be happy to sign as quickly as the Trump administration would like them to.
- [08:36]
Andrew Muller
But is the fundamental thing here, Latika, not that the Iranians actually think, on balance, we're kind of winning here, why would we stop?
- [08:44]
I've been testing this with a lot of US Military sources who I trust, who aren't necessarily MAGA Republican hegsethy types. And they have told me, look, there's a lot that's not being said about the position and the US Strength or dominance or not here. And they have cautioned me from that view. And I don't think it's been, I think have a look at what happens with the blockade, and we will see, because it's clear that the US now is making a fresh attempt to reassert dominance over the Strait of Hormuz. And if it's right that they have obliterated the bulk of the Navy and now what's left are these fast attack ships which Mr. Trump has been posting about today, that is a capability that the US can feasibly take out. Now, obviously, we can all look at this and say, this should all have been programmed in from day one. It's absurd that they're coming back to finish the job nutty that they didn't assemble a coalition. Keep in mind, too, that France has come out today and said, we are going to assemble with the UK a coalition to look at monitoring enforcement in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has softened a bit his tone on NATO in the last 24 hours, saying now they want to contribute, they want to come and help. So I do think there is more happening behind the scenes here that may not suggest Iran, Iranian dominance just for now.
- [10:07]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
Well, having said that, you know, to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, that's a major undertaking. I mean, you need at least two aircraft carriers, a dozen destroyers in the middle and all the way to the south. That's a major undertaking to sustain it. The implications of that, you know, Navy people in the US have been also very cautious about how and if such an undertaking is feasible.
- [10:37]
Andrew Muller
But they did put two destroyers through, and I do think that's worth noting.
- [10:42]
Just before we move off this one, Oscar, what do we make of the escalating row with the Vatican? Do we anticipate the 82nd Airborne descending over Rome anytime soon?
- [10:53]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
I mean, that's exactly what you need to do when you are in the middle of, you know, absolutely. Strategic negotiations, go and piece off the head of a 2,500-year-old institution and then post yourself as Jesus so that even, even the Knights Templar International, you know, reply back saying, please, can you take it off?
- [11:16]
Andrew Muller
I think at this rate, it's just Santa Claus left that Trump hasn't picked a fight with, right? I mean, let's bring on December 25th,
- [11:22]
and when you've lost the Knights Templar, who do you still have? But sticking with the theme of President Trump's increasingly thinly disguised ambitions of adding a 51st star to the American flag before he's done, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz Canel has warned him not to explore whatever funny ideas he may have about sending the Mar to Havana and, or perhaps in homage to President Teddy Roosevelt, personally seizing San Juan Hill on horseback, or at least posting chintzy AI images of himself so doing. President Diaz Canel has told American television that in the event of US invasion, Cubans would resist. There will be a struggle, he said, and if we need to die, we'll die. Oscar, is this actually a likely scenario? I mean, given that we, you know, this is a question we might reasonably have asked a year ago about the United States threatening to invade Denmark.
- [12:14]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
A year ago, I would have said, no, this is not likely now, it is not necessary. But there is a possibility. Having said that, to quote Ita Kamai, sources in Cuba tell me that. I mean, there are two things at least to be conscious of. Number one, the US has a military base in the island of Cuba and that codes both ways. It's a huge risk militarily for the United States. And number two, imagine what will happen if there is some kind of military action, perhaps even short of a ground invasion. Imagine if the Cuban government and all the Cuban people decide in the thousands to take on thousands of boats and cross the 90 miles that separate them from Miami. Imagine the optics of that for the Trump administration. Thousands of little vessels with Cuban emigres approaching the east coast of the United States from various points. And how do you deal with that
- [13:27]
Andrew Muller
militarily, even by Trump standards, though Latika, assuming they did want to do this, and obviously toppling the Castroist regime in Havana has been a preoccupation of successive US administrations pretty much since 1959. But you couldn't even to Trump's supporters, surely it would be hard to construct a case that Cuba now is any threat whatsoever to the United States. Iran, you can make an argument about, you know, it is a big country which has menaced its neighbours, established proxy militias all across the region. I think Monocle could take Cuba with the wind behind us.
- [14:05]
I mean, we talk a lot about Vladimir Putin's emotional reasons for invading Ukraine and how irrational it looks, yet coherent with his worldview. And I think you also have to apply that to the way the American, particularly the Rubio esque community, considers Cuba. So the dynamic is there for him to pursue this. I think whether the base supports it, I think that depends on how long and drawn out any military operation would be. I think one of the issues with Iran was that it's just gone on too long. In fact, I was at the London Defence Conference on the weekend and there was a Republican congressman there and he said, I'm uneasy about the way this war, how long it's continued, but I do generally support us going in. I think you would find that there would be perhaps more support for an initial operation, but of course it's always the execution. Venezuela, we might look back at that as the aberration and the oddity because there was a Delsey there who is that person in Cuba. I'm not sure that that is clear. And Rubio himself has not even had direct conversations yet with the Cuban president. So I'm not really sure they've done the work. And you would think they might be a little ch. Chastened by what's happened in Iran.
- [15:18]
Well, you would think. But might you not also think, Oscar, that the Americans would be a bit chastened by the fact that decades and decades and decades of blockading, making a bogeyman of Cuba and of Castro turned him into a hero and kind of entrenched him. And are they not now doing Diaz Canel the same favor? Because in the, in the same interview he was asked questions about releasing political prisoners, whether or not Cuba ever fancied throwing an election, allowing free newspapers or trades unions, and he's now now able to duck them because he can now say, I am the oppressed leader of a terrorized people.
- [15:54]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
You're absolutely right.
- [15:55]
Andrew Muller
I'm always absolutely right.
- [15:56]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
You're always absolutely right. But now more so than ever, because in fact, there are a lot of people in Latin America now, in the Americas, in fact, thinking that the Trump administration, you know, obtained the wrong lesson from what happened in Venezuela. They seem to have had to have the idea that this was an easy win. Well, was it? I mean, there is no regime change in Venezuela. We're very far away from any transition. The opposition is not doing any better. And again, Delsey Rodriguez, who is not a very popular politician in Venezuela, let Alone, the Americas has been raised to the status of a stateswoman and a negotiator. I mean, this is evenin fact, if the Americans continue strangling the Cuban population as they are doing, let us recall that the economic sanctions have a very high human cost. When you talk to people in Cuba, from farmers to people in urban areas, all they say is, look, what I want is something to eat and, you know, to do my work. That is not going to happen if the United States continue on this path and they are emboldening a government, the escanel, which is not necessarily popular either. So the very idea that this is somehow going to be beneficial for the US is complicated. And I already talked about the optics of all of this is really not something that the Americans, and of course people in the Americas as a whole want to see.
- [17:55]
Andrew Muller
Just finally on this one, Latika, is there any way that this recurrent American obsession with Cuba isn't as weird as it looks? Because there did appear to be a brief interregnum under President Barack Obama, which, you know, his announcement was words of the effects of seriously, what are we still doing? And yet we now appear to be pretty much back where we were.
- [18:17]
I have been doing a lot of reading about Monroe Doctrine over the last few months and what I have come to the conclusion is that this is a strain that runs deep in American foreign policy. We just haven't been so well taught about it or educated about it. And it hasn't been is used and leant upon so prominently and abused by the way, of course, misused by a governing president in quite this way. I think there's a lot of consistency actually in what Trump is saying and doing about his aims to control and dominate the Western Hemisphere, potentially acquire Greenland and Canada. It's actually very, very consistent with where the United States was at at the time the Munro Doctrine comes into being. It was rapidly expanding. It was trying to fend off an international rules based system being established by intellectuals in Southern America, in South America. So. So I actually think this is, this is the ab we've been living in the aberration period. I think this is a bit more normal from the United States than we've been assessing.
- [19:21]
Well, to Germany now. And to dolorous tidings for Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Even by the standards of an age in which incumbent national leaders tend to be disliked by grumpy, dissatisfied, bored and arguably somewhat overindulged voters. Mertz is, according to a survey of voters across 24 democracies, the least popular elected leader on earth. Fully 76,6% of German voters are unhappy with the job he is doing, making him a tick less popular than President Emmanuel Macron of France, who cannot stand for another term anyway and may therefore greet such a verdict with a Gallic shrug and perhaps a mournful accordion glissando. The highest approval ratings were posted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 70%. And South Korea's newish President Lee Jae Myung, who had the advantage of a non tough act to follow Latika. Does this surprise us that nobody likes Chancellor Merz terribly much? He seems harmless enough.
- [20:16]
Yeah. You know, I actually was surprised and I feel a bit sorry for Mertz. Yes.
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Which is probably not something you want to hear as a national leader, mind you.
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No, I mean, look, I'm sure he's got all his problems, like all politicians, but actually Mertz has been trying extremely hard to turn the German tanker around. He has made some very daring moves on defence spending, lifting the debt break. He has helped galvanise the EU and give them the political authority to pursue things like trade deals, do things differently essentially in a world where the Americans are so unpredictable. So I actually think this is a little bit unfair on Chancellor Mertz because I can't see any offensive quality or policy that he has that really outranks him compared to the others.
- [21:07]
Has governing democracies old become kind of impossible?
- [21:13]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
You might say that again. But you know, before we go onto that, it seems to be the case that the problem with Merz in Germany is with him personally. He was already, you know, disliked as a politician even before he came back to politics and way before he became a chancellor. And precisely because of all the things that Latica said, one would think, well, he should be more popular and he's not. So all analysts in Germany would tell us, well, this is about him. I mean, they just dislike the way he is. What you pointed out about being boring and so on and so forth as to the impossibility of democracy. Well, since Plato we've heard that democracy might be an impossibility, but that is the very reason why we need need to keep fighting to build it, to make it better. And also to mention the unpopularity and contentious nature of the Monroe Doctrine in the Americas. If you look for the more popular states, people in the Americas, you find precisely those who are opposing the Monroe Doctrine very high up, Mrs. Scheinbaum, people like Gustavo Petro or Lula and others.
- [22:39]
Andrew Muller
There is a doom loop problem though, isn't there, Latika? Because you become less popular, it therefore becomes less easy to govern, which means you can't make decisions about things that might actually work, which might make you more popular and therefore you become even more unpopular because you're perceived as someone who can't govern.
- [22:58]
Yes, but I think that, I mean, the best example of that of course is Keir Starmer, but I think that's his own particular political inertia. And, and really the best way to deal with that, look at the result in Hungary on the weekend, have a clear agenda, have a clear reason for why you're running. And when you get into office, having outlined that, which Starmer did not do, implement it as best you can and be upfront and frank and clear. I actually think we overcomplicate or the politicians and the political class overcomplicate a lot of what people want. I think they just want authenticity. They do want plain speaking, which is why populist leaders are having a bit of a run night right now. They also want solutions based politics. And I think a lot of politicians have not really had the time to think about what economic solutions they can offer voting publics. And that's a lot of the part of the downfall.
- [23:51]
Is there arguably a problem as well, Oscar, that politicians being politicians, tend a lot of the time to think in terms of policy, that is, we will do this and people will like me and that will make us popular, et cetera. Whereas voters do tend to basically make decisions based on vibes.
- [24:09]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
Latika is absolutely correct in saying that politicians tend to overcomplicate things. They're more so now in the digital era and the echo chambers and so on and so forth. They are sort of second guessing, trying to second guess what people actually want and trying to predict if I do this then they will like me, rather than actually asking people, what do you want? Oh, that one thing. Let's go for that one. If you look again at the sort of more popular estates people in the Americas that I was referring to before, someone like Mrs. Schoenbaum, you know, her offer of, you know, universal healthcare in Mexico, that's one thing that people will go for. And it's pretty simple and understandable to all. In the case of Gustavo Petro in Colombia, just, you know, an end to state violation is actually not doing, but a not doing and that's already having a result.
- [25:14]
Andrew Muller
Or Andrew, you could just learn to play the drums like Takaichi in Japan, who's become a viral sensation.
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Oscar Guardiola Rivera
That's because she's a fan of the purple.
- [25:23]
Andrew Muller
Yes, she is, yes.
- [25:24]
Well, we will move along to the encroaching AI dystopia, a recent manifestation of which is this a family in China, it says here, have hired boffins to create an AI clone of a relative killed in a car accident to comfort the 80 something family matriarch. The virtual apparition was assembled from images, videos and recordings supplied by the family, and the apparently unwitting mother now talks to it daily. The digital son has also been programmed to furnish excuses for his failure to visit his elderly parent, citing the need to work a long way from home, but repeatedly promises to visit soon. And who among us, etc. Latika, where are we on this?
- [26:05]
Well, Black Mirror has called and wants its episode back because I remember this episode, episode so clearly, and it is terrifying that it's coming true, because it's obviously Black Mirror is a dystopia about what tech might bring us in the future. Well. Well, the future is here, if we are already doing that. Look, obviously I'm not a fan of this. I think it's disruptive to the grieving process and I just worry about where we're going down this track.
- [26:32]
Well, disruptive to the grieving process. But, Oscar, I would contend, is there really an ethical issue with. If you are, and most people listening to this, and I have been through this mill myself, will have experience of having to sort of talk to an extremely elderly relative who really no longer knows who you are or who they are, et cetera. Is there anything wrong with allowing them to interact with a digital representation of their family if they're not going to know the difference anyway? Has any harm been done?
- [27:06]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
Is it unethical to lie to your elder, to your elders? Well, the thing is, as you pointed out in the question already, you made me think of my grandma and my old aunties. You cannot lie to them. You know, if you look at the story, you know, her insistence, the insistence of, you know, this grandmother, when are you coming to visit me? Oh, you can tell she's already doubting this thing. And that's unethical. That's a problem. That's a problem because, you know, people find the truth and then. And then what happens is there, though.
- [27:53]
Andrew Muller
And this. You talk about where this is all leading. Latika, all of this strikes me, and it strikes me, as recently as earlier today, I did happen to see across the cafe, two people who had come to the cafe together, sitting there, not speaking to each other in the slightest, and instead just staring into laptops or phones. Is it the case that it turns out we actually prefer not interacting with our fellow humans if we can possibly avoid them? Or do we just gravitate to what's easier, even if it's not as good?
- [28:25]
The reason this worries me is because I can see a world where you combine this with AI and it becomes essentially a hologram or a physical form of an AI chatbot. And if you look, we're not having a good early experience with these chatbots. We've had some really serious circumstances where children in particular have gone online, been manipulated, talked into self harming themselves and doing all sorts of things that are just disastrous for their mental health. If we were to unleash that onto unwitting elderly people, I can't imagine all the things that might go wrong. Andrew.
- [28:58]
And just as a final ethical consideration, Oscar, should we actually be able to, and I'm not even sure how you could frame this in legislation, should we, the living, be able to preemptively prevent anybody from doing the same to us or once you're not here, do you not care?
- [29:15]
Oscar Guardiola Rivera
Oh, we should. We should do it. No, I mean the dead. The dead have a way of coming back and hunting us, as we all know. To quote once again, Plato Books, Book 7 of the Republic, of course, is easier to get used to the shadows that are being projected on the wall, but that's not the truth. And people have, you know, people find a way outside of the cave. When that happens, you know, all hell breaks loose.
- [29:41]
Andrew Muller
Well, on that learned note, Oscar Guardiola Rivera and Latika Burke, thanks for joining us. The Daily will be right back after this. You are listening to the Daily on Monocle Radio. And finally on today's show, the Olivier Awards, which recognize the best of British theatre, were distributed last night. Among the attendees, in fact, was Matt Wolf, theatre critic at the International New York Times, who joins me now. Matt, welcome to the Daily.
- [30:28]
Matt Wolf
Thank you, Andrew.
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Andrew Muller
Great to be here.
- [30:29]
It's nice to have you back. Any right thinking person, Matt, looking at the list of winners, will be beholding a preponderance of musicals which are une. Inexplicable. Inexplicable. How do you account for this?
- [30:43]
Matt Wolf
Well, certainly a show like Paddington, which won seven awards and sort of swept everything before it, is the kind of success that the theater industry dreams of and doesn't often achieve. I think if you want a comparable hit like that homegrown in the UK, you have to go back to Matilda 14 years ago. So this was a show that took 5, 6 years to incubate finally it's come to fruition, it's a big hit and my God, the Oliviers are going to make sure that it went noticed. And there was a really odd feeling throughout the CE of because it's about Paddington the Bear bringing his message of generosity to, you know, blighted London. And except that London ends up transformed by Paddington the Bear. And there was this feeling that somehow the musical had made the theater world kinder and more generous and more inclusive. So we'll see.
- [31:28]
Andrew Muller
But also featuring, I could not help but notice, was Evita. And I, I am one of those people who remains perplexed by the enduring success of a jolly single about an Argentinian fascist and his mad wife.
- [31:41]
Matt Wolf
Well, I don't know if I'd quite call this a jolly sing along romp, particularly in Jamie Lloyd's pretty fierce and abrasive production, which I really liked. I mean, I've seen all the Evitas through the ages and this one was far and away the most astringent. And what you saw in this was for every moment that it exalted and extolled its title character. It also critiqued her and the world that she inhabits. It's no surprise, Andrew, that Donald, Donald Trump's favorite musical is reputed to and reported to have been Evita. You can draw your own conclusions from that.
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Andrew Muller
Did it strike you that aside from the success of musicals, there was any sort of overarching theme about last night to live with?
- [32:23]
Matt Wolf
Yes, the overarching theme was very much we live in a cruel, harsh, cold world and somehow for three hours, no interval. No interval. I'm just emphasizing that the Royal Albert hall was a defense or a sanctuary against these bleak times. Julie desmondhalsch, who won best supporting actress for the play Punch, which is about restorative justice, talked about a world defined by division, violence, conflict and hate. That her play was reacting against one of the people who creates Paddington the Bear, James Hamid, talked about Paddington, reminding us to be welcoming, inquisitive, and most importantly, kind. So there seemed to be something going on almost of, you know, where can you go for respite and refuge? The theater or the Royal Albert Hall?
- [33:09]
Andrew Muller
Were there any other winners that you personally were especially delight.
- [33:13]
Matt Wolf
I was really pleased there was a little show that could called Ken Rex, which is about not so restorative justice based on a story of actual crime in Skidmore, Missouri in 1981. And it was the creation of this really gifted actor, writer Jack Holden, British set, totally in America. And he's been working it Incrementally, from Sheffield off West End. On West End, he won Best Actor up against Sean Hayes, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hiddleston. And when his name was announced, he looked surprised and confused. He actually said something like, you know, are you sure it was me? So. And the show is actually opening on Thursday in New York, and he had flown over from New York where he's in rehearsals for it, and it could have been a wasted trip. In fact, it wasn't.
- [33:57]
Andrew Muller
Well, on the subject of being confused, bewildered, et cetera, surely there must be at least once every awards ceremony you attend, Matt, where you are tempted to stand on your seat, bellow, fix, and start launching bread rolls at the dais in rage at the judgment that has been passed.
- [34:15]
Matt Wolf
Well, I wanted to do that. Poor Sir Ian McKellen, because he and Helen Meir came out to present an award and, you know, everything is on autocue that keeps scrolling. And it became very clear very early that dear Sir Ian, who's not now far off 90, couldn't read the autocue and I was right next to the autocue, so I wanted to sit in my chair and just feed him his lines. He handled it very graciously. Look, I'd love. In an ideal world, I'd love the revival of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and its brilliant star, Isis Hainsworth to have figured and. And they didn't. I'd like to have even more wins for into the woods, the Sondheim show at the Bridge, but it still won Best Musical Revival, so I emerged pretty happy and desperately in need of a pee.
- [34:56]
Andrew Muller
Well, just finally then, while we have you here, what in particular on the London stage right now is something that you would recommend, something that perhaps might be cleaning up at next year's Olivier Awards?
- [35:08]
Matt Wolf
Well, I would beat a path she won last night, but I would beat a path to Rosamund pike and inter alia, this is her first play in 14 years. She was visibly moved by winning the prize. It's also another play about the workings of the law. Something is going on here because law is all of a sudden the only topic in town. But it's a great opportunity to see an actress rediscovering her craft and her art and her just love of acting in front of your eyes.
- [35:35]
Andrew Muller
Matt Wolf, thanks for joining us. That is all for this edition of the Monocle Daily. Thanks to our panelists today, Oscar Guardiola and Oscar Guardiola Rivera, in fact, and Latika Burke. Today's show was produced by Hassan Anderson. And research by Josefina Astrad Nagla Gomez. Our sound engineer was Elliot Greenfield. I'm Andrew Muller here in London. The Daily is back at the same time tomorrow. Thanks for listening.
- [36:10]
It.