I wasn’t completely oblivious to
the themes and the story of ‘Meek’ as I had seen it advertised at the Edinburgh
Festival and had read comparisons being made with the hit television adaptation
of Margaret Atwood’s, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (which I have never seen). So although the comparisons were lost on me,
the haunting reality of the dystopian world in which this story is set had
hints of a very sinister, medieval yet modern world; one where women still have
to ask permission from their husbands to leave the home but can still listen to
music online. Comparisons to well-known
stories do not end at The Handmaid’s Tale, as we follow the unmarried Irene who
has been imprisoned for singing a song in a coffee shop and accused of
deviating from the righteous path set out by the disciples of the law of their
world. The parallels with the bible are
so deeply wound in this story, that any sense of twist is very clear to see,
very early on.
Max Jones’ design of the
production was bold yet simplistic, with just one change of set during the
latter part of the play, which was beautiful to see. The earlier, minimalist cell, with its
concrete walls and the oversized cross overshadowing Irene’s prison bed was
extremely effective. But what most impressed me about the production design was
the lighting designed by Zoe Spur. From
the slick transitions, representative of the passing of time, to the heavenly
down lighting on the cast against the misty atmosphere, creating a sense of
dystopia, everything was timed and executed with perfect precision and was so
visually engaging.
The three actresses playing the
roles in ‘Meek’ were fiercely talented. Despite the simplicity of their dialogue, their delivery was dynamic and
the pace of their duologues were captivating. In the heated discussions, Irene argued with both her best friend and
her lawyer and the overlapping dialogue which took place was mesmerising. Scarlett Brookes, in the role of Anna,
Irene’s best friend, was strong yet repressed, nervous yet feisty. Amanda Wright was utterly compelling in her
role as the strong-headed, stoic Gudrun, a female lawyer trying to defend Irene
from the accusations being made against her.
The protagonist of the story,
Irene was portrayed by Shvorne Marks, who so tactfully played with her dialogue,
that the audience was made to question whether or not she was rightly accused
of her crimes. A question that lingered right until the bitter end. From her
opening announcement of ‘God is Dead’ to her final monologue, there wasn’t
anything more this actress could have given to the part and she was a joy to
watch perform.
Headlong Theatre Company are
leaders in innovative theatre and ground-breaking productions (People, Places
& Things, 2017 was a huge success in collaboration with the National
Theatre) and so I was really excited about this production of ‘Meek’, this time in collaboration with Birmingham Rep. Despite my praise for the design and the
acting prowess of the performers, I was underwhelmed by the direction by Amy
Hodge. The writing by the award winning
Penelope Skinner was wonderful and full of engaging dialogue in a very still
setting, but it lacked something that I cannot quite put my finger on. Perhaps the physical theatre and energy of
‘People, Places & Things’ set my expectations for this production too high.
I did enjoy ‘Meek’, but left feeling slightly disappointed as it did not
deliver the innovation from Headlong that I have come to expect and this
production left me wanting more.
Reviewer - Johanna Hassouna-Smith
on - 19/9/18
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