Tiago Rodrigues's play has provoked furious reactions across Europe, with audiences staging walkouts and protests over a character's half-hour far-right political speech. At its British premiere at the National Theatre, however, the audience response was notably muted—marked by nervous laughter and coughs rather than outrage—raising questions about British audiences' relationship with fascism and their willingness to engage with provocative political theatre.

The play centres on a family that ritually murders a "fascist" annually as protest, with characters all named Catarina in honour of a protester killed under Salazar's authoritarian Portuguese regime in 1954. Set in a near-future Portugal where a far-right government threatens constitutional change, it explores the ethical debate around armed resistance to fascism, featuring lengthy passages of stilted dialogue interspersed with shocking violence. The reviewer suggests the play deliberately creates a tedious, immobilising experience punctuated by shocks, possibly serving as commentary on European complacency as far-right movements gain traction in Germany and France.