THEATRE REVIEW: Jordan - The King's Arms Theatre, Salford.

Having appeared at the 2019 Buxton Fringe Festival and receiving the Best Female Actor award as well as other nominations, 'Jordan' promised great things. On for one night only, 'Jordan' is a 60 minute one-woman show based on a true story, depicting the devastating crime of single mother Shirley Jones.

Upon entering the King’s Arms theatre I noticed that the seating arrangements were different from the usual set up of that theatre, with tables and chairs for the audience to sit around, adorned with candles, as though we were about to view a cabaret. How very different the show actually was to a fun and flirty nightclub performance though!

'Jordan' was a difficult but powerful piece of theatre to watch, in which even the gritty and most difficult parts of the story were told in full. The lead actress was well suited to the role, playing the complex emotions with ease. It is a real shame that the audience were not given programmes upon arrival, but with much searching the internet I believe the actress’s name to be Sara Gray. Gray’s rapid shifts in emotion as she told Jones’ story were seamless and accurately depicted her unstable and broken character.

The performance was very still for the most part with little to no movement and no props except for a single chair and a few small items beside it. This is so often the case with Fringe productions, although I feel this was the desired set-up for 'Jordan', to reflect the character’s confinement. This lack of props worked from an audience member’s perspective, as the script was written in the style of a fairy-tale or short story, and was almost poetic in its language, calling on the audience’s imagination above all else. We did not need to see any sets or even a baby to believe Gray.

I can easily imagine reading a dramatic novel written in this style. The tale of Shirley Jones and her infant son was interwoven with the well-known fairy-tale of Rumpelstiltskin, although the ending had been changed to reflect the mother’s desires, which was a nice touch. Again, by searching the internet I believe the writers to be Anna Reynolds and Moira Buffini.

It is a shame there were not more people in the audience as, although this was a difficult watch with very little comedic relief, it was well written and well performed and I was engaged throughout. It was a piece of theatre that I am sure I will be thinking about for weeks to come. 

Reviewer - Megan Relph
on - 15.9.21