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How could Doris Day laugh through tears? She must have watched this beautiful show.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Working as I did in the NHS, I well remember the backstories of people – often women – who were incarcerated for reasons that today are just part of life: having an illegitimate child; being of ‘loose morals’; just acting differently to what ‘polite’ society accepted or would tolerate. I clearly recall how brutal it was to firstly take away a person’s freedom for years, treating them like children, and then to remove them from the institution that had become their home, expecting them to become responsible for themselves and their affairs in a world they’d had no contact with, in some cases for over 50 years.
Given this background, Charlotte Jones’ play, which follows the lives of two women who find themselves in just such a situation, could be a stark, brutal viewing. Instead it is a tender, poignant, often funny and at the same time sad depiction of the resilience of spirit in adversity.
Rachel Fletcher-Hudson’s portrayal of Persephone/Porph is exemplary. Nobody with any heart could fail to feel the despair of a woman having her baby taken from her after being duped by an older man and committed into an institution by her father. Her seamless transitions from drudgery to beautiful renditions of Doris Day songs almost allow you to forget where they take place, and like Doris she merges tears with laughter.
The juxtaposition of Persephone/Porph’s delicacy and the strength and masculinity of Dora/Dorph (played by Vic Holt) gives a broader view of the reasons these women are in the ‘asylum’ but also of the friendship that has grown between them, which would not have occurred had they not been brought together in such dreadful circumstances. Holt perfectly captures Dora/Dorph’s need to embrace a military approach to her situation, the reason for which becomes clear when we learn about the loss of her brothers in the war. Dora/Dorph’s obsession with historical, military, activist women, whose dates and achievements are scattered throughout the piece, gives substance to her identification of self. Given this is Holt’s professional debut, she rises to the challenge of a demanding work, and I look forward to seeing her grow in confidence in the future.
Claire Evans’ direction brings the play to life. The minimalist set and prop box work well, allowing the actors to flow with ease between emotional situations. The airswimming sequences are superb; so soft and loving you could not fail to be moved.
I left the show feeling I had got to know two women whose lives had on one hand been ruined, but on the other had acquired a depth of emotional intelligence that hopefully would carry them through the next stage in their existence. This feeling however was paired with anger at how the established patriarchy of the day was shown to have altered peoples’ lives on the feeblest of reasons – purely because they did not fit with the cultural norms of the day. One cannot help but compare their situation to the Magdalene laundries that continued in Ireland for decades after the ‘asylums’ were sold off.
But in the words of Doris, “Que Sera Sera, What will be will be”. This for me is a great play, with great performers and a great director, and as Doris did, I cried through the laughter.
Written by: Charlotte Jones
Directed by: Claire Evans
Produced by: Holt and Stockley, Claire Evans Ltd., Yvonne I’Anson
Airswimming has completed its current run.
