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A familiar tale of gentrification told with a biting, modern twistSummary
Rating
Excellent
Union follows the journey of Saskia (Dominique Tipper) as she navigates a moral-life crisis that threatens to tear apart her opulent and successful existence. With an event that rocks her to the core and varied poignant encounters, Saskia is forced to truly assess the person she’s become and the effect that’s had on the world around her.
The Arcola Theatre is a great backdrop for this show. It’s modern, rustic, brick décor is, ironically, often adopted by new-build developers and thus creates the perfect ambiance for the play. But it’s the location – Hackney- that truly amplifies the themes within the story, with this borough being one of the first areas in London to be enveloped and forever altered by the effects of 21st century gentrification. Though one of the first the writer, Max Wilkinson, illuminates with humour, and a tinge of dread, that no nook nor cranny of this city is safe from the inevitable saturation of corporate consumption.
Tipper’s high-octane performance as Saskia is arresting. It’s an almost manic portrayal of a woman on the verge of having and losing everything simultaneously, moving through the story with an emotional fluidity densely packed with comedy and sadness. Andre Bullock and Sorcha Kennedy don multiple characters from Leon, Saskia’s empathetic, overlooked husband, to Fraser, an overly ambitious colleague, swiftly shifting from role to role and portraying each character with authentic relatability.
The set design by Kit Hinchcliffe is effective. Uncomplicated, functional and yet, somehow, homely (much like contemporary developments). Costume changes are executed in front of the audience with each garment symbolically discarded. For Saskia, these fleeting encounters have a deep, lasting impact and as the clothes are gently folded over a clothes rail having served their purpose for the play, their stories still continue to haunt Saskia as she attempts to navigate her way back to herself. This, along with Wiebke Green’s directorial choice to have the actors on stage throughout, really draws you into the world of the play. Even when Kennedy and Bullock are not in character, they remain present, listening and watching. The trio make for a very dynamic and engaging performance.
The start of the play begins with such high energy, however, moments of tension subsequently all feel the same. There is no climactic escalation as we have begun right at the top. And however amusing and well portrayed, the supplementary characters frequently serve to reiterate the same message and don’t always assist in moving the plot forward. This contributes to the noticeable dip in energy during the third act, causing action to lag.
Wilkinson’s writing is fast-paced, witty and intelligent. And though his social commentary teeters on being slightly overstated in parts, he has a talent for striking wonderfully close to the jugular; discussing uncomfortable truths and fanning them gleefully into the audience. The clash between what is and what was is adeptly articulated in Union. It seeks to burst the bubble of pseudo Millennial indignation about economic injustice – regularly discussed over an artisanal coffee.
The play is a serious reminder of the personal responsibility we have to be aware of the changing landscape of London and that behind every new-build and trendy cafe is the displacement and loss of the historic soul of a community.
Written by: Max Wilkinson
Directed by: Wiebke Green
Set /Costume design by: Kit Hinchcliffe
Lighting Design by: Martha Godfrey
Sound/Composed by: Julian Starr
Union plays at Arcola Theatre until 12 August. Further information and bookings can be found here.
