Straight Line Crazy review: David Hare’s new historical drama is unsubtle and sluggish

Ralph Fiennes stars as Robert Moses, the man who once unofficially ran New York – but his story just isn’t that interesting

Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses in ‘Straight Line Crazy' (Manuel Harlan)

Think of the men from US history who should have their stories told and chances are Robert Moses’s name doesn’t spring to mind. Realistically, you’ve probably never heard of the civil planner who, despite never being elected, was one of the biggest names in 1920s New York. David Hare’s latest collaboration with Ralph Fiennes and director Nicholas Hytner attempts to write that perceived wrong, with a story about the political power of roads – lots and lots of roads. Sadly, you’d probably have more fun rereading the Highway Code.

With his parks and expressways, Moses was responsible for opening NYC to the outside world. From the moment the show starts, it’s made clear that this was no fluke. Moses is a strict, often obnoxious boss, Fiennes striding around the stage and intimidating his employees with a single look. Moses is unwilling to bend to the will of others, whether they’re powerful New York families or the city’s poorest residents. It’s where the eponymous straight lines come in – after all, why should he change his roads when he knows what’s best? But at least initially, his aims to get the “masses” to the countryside seem noble, even when it’s not-so-subtly suggested that the masses he’s talking about are the kind who don’t need public transport.

The fundamental problem with Straight Line Crazy is that while Moses is an interesting enough man, we’re talking about roads. It’s not the most fascinating of backdrops anyway, but Hare feels determined to make the topic even harder to engage with. Every scene could be a fair chunk shorter, while the dialogue is a weird mix of broad platitudes and very specific jargon, which isn’t easy to keep track of. In general, it’s a slog to get through.