FESTIVAL THEATRE | Reviews
VESSEL Tackling the debate over Ireland’s abortion law ●●●●●
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Maia lives in Ireland, weeks away from the repeal of the 8th amendment of the country’s constitution. A tweet about her own unwanted pregnancy turns her into a right-to-choose activist and she lets tabloid reporter David accompany her to England for her abortion. The minimal set and direction make way for excellent
writing (by performer Laura Wyatt O’Keeffe) to shine. Maia and David are complex and subtle characters. They are superbly portrayed by O’Keeffe and Edward DeGaetano, who bring real life and humour to these two unlikely companions. Maia and David hesitate, they make mistakes, and they certainly haven’t considered all the implications of their activism. Vessel is both poignant and subtle. It questions the easy
stereotyping that comes with a binary view of activism. David wants to make Maia the vessel of reproductive rights for the greater good of the Repeal the 8th campaign, but he still carries inconsistencies and bias in his own view of fertility.
There are hints something more might develop between
the characters, but maybe nothing will: Vessel doesn’t offer a happy ending or clear resolution for the characters. Instead it shows what happens after the struggle, be that Maia’s clinical procedure or the referendum, the results of which are announced halfway through the show. Vessel focuses on the individuals having to make important
choices, and suggests the campaign for reproductive rights doesn’t end with a referendum; instead it acknowledges the choices women have to make, and questions what happens to them now they have that freedom. (Adeline Amar) ■ Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 Aug, 1.05pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
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I R O B B E J A C K
GREYHOUNDS Atmospheric and entertaining evocation of a WWII village ●●●●● SITTING BY KATHERINE PARKINSON Incisive portrait of artist and subjects ●●●●●
Following a time-honoured tradition of a play within a play (think Chekhov, Brecht, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Greyhounds takes Shakespeare’s triumphant Henry V, a tale of battle, loss and that famous ‘band of brothers’, and adapts it to the fraught setting of a small English village in 1941. Villagers are putting on a lacklustre production of Henry V to raise money for a Spitfire; an aptly selected play for a war-weary village, although one that occasionally produces parallels and metaphors that are too laboured. Yet when Greyhounds isn’t working too hard to
convince the audience of the links between Henry V and this curious, well-sketched cast of characters, it is a treat. The setting is skilfully rendered: costumes, a few choice posters and the hint of busy if stultifying village life beyond the confines of the drama production all evoke a convincing sense of WWII life. Familiar but still intriguing tropes of the war feature, and the characters – who range from downed pilot to Fiona Primrose’s brilliantly endearing displaced London chorus girl – are entertainingly portrayed. Playwright Laura Crow’s turn as the socially awkward Katherine is a highlight, as she dryly delivers comedic lines and fails to understand the nuances of life around her. (Rachel Walker) ■ theSpace on the Mile, until 18 Aug, 8.15pm, £10.
82 THE LIST FESTIVAL 15–27 Aug 2018
The set-up for this moving debut play from actor and writer Katherine Parkinson (star of Humans, The IT Crowd and more) might be simple, but she finds in it so much dramatic potential. Mary, Cassandra and Luke are each sitting for portraits by the mysterious, unseen John, the seemingly mundane conversations they conduct with their painter slowly revealing unexpected interconnections and moving truths. Sitting is a glowingly assured and quietly incisive, drawing its characters with deft, succinct precision, and drip-feeding parallels and connections between its protagonists’ stories almost imperceptibly. To say more would spoil the huge pleasure of tuning into the intertwining polyphony of Parkinson’s writing.
Director Sarah Bedi allows plenty of space and air for the three stories to breathe, and gets beautifully nuanced performances from her three-strong cast: Grace Hogg-Robinson touchingly vulnerable as needy compulsive liar Cassandra; James Alexandrou all bluster and swagger as Luke, unsure why he’s there at all; and Hayley Jane Standing glorious as the unwittingly sensual Mary. Sitting is a sharp, perceptive piece of work, delivered brilliantly. (David Kettle) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 26 Aug, 3.15pm, £14–£16 (£13–£14).
TESTAMENT Matters of life and death and beyond ●●●●●
Audacious in its ambition, Testament slips between poetic and physical evocations of mental or metaphysical states, places the human at the centre of a battle between Jesus and the devil, reflects on grief, guilt and medical ethics before concluding with a meditation on the possibility of overcoming disappointment. Shifting between naturalism and melodramatic declamations, Testament is bursting with ideas, but its hour struggles to contain everything.
Like the experiences of protagonist Max, the structure is fragmented and disorientating: the scenes set in his subconscious are fluid, allusive and profound, but the interludes in the real world of doctors, guilty brothers and medical procedure are laboured by comparison. The cast are enthusiastic and dynamic, bringing a lively intensity to both happy memories and painful recollections.
Uneven yet promising, the script shifts mood frequently and sometimes clumsily. The ambition of the company is not yet matched by an effective dramaturgical execution, yet the seriousness of the themes suggest that Chalk Line are chasing a thought-provoking, intelligent and passionate ideal. (Gareth K Vile) ■ ZOO Charteris, until 27 Aug, 4.45pm, £10 (£8).