Review: The Pursuit of Joy, Jermyn Street Theatre

Review: The Pursuit of Joy, Jermyn Street Theatre

Summary

Rating

61

Good

An honest look at the lengths we take to face our demons and escape the baggage that weighs us down.

Following three strangers on a month-long trip to South America, The Pursuit of Joy takes an honest look at the lengths we go to escape the baggage that weighs us down, and the help we’ll need to ultimately unpack it. This new work from Safaa Benson-Effiom handles grief, fear, and anxiety, with clever use of multi-roling, voiceover, visual symbolism, and accessible storytelling.

When they first meet at the arrivals gate Ardel (Razak Osman), Iona (Antonia Layiwola), and Joan (Tia Dunn) couldn’t appear more different. Iona can barely get a word out, Joan can’t stop hers from overflowing, and Ardel seems like he’d be much happier alone with his phone. Still, together they hop on the bus and embark on their journey into the unknown. 

Throughout the ensuing hour or so the cast inhabit Benson-Effiom’s script with skill. Onstage, their silence speaks volumes and moments of abstract foreshadowing hint enticingly at each character’s inner turmoil. The production’s interweaving of abstraction and realism is aided well by Catja Hamilton’s intuitive lighting and Emily Rose Simons’ integral sound. 

As the story reveals itself so too does the characters’ baggage. We watch as Ardel, Iona and Joan are each forced to face up to their demons and come to terms with the steps they must take to defeat them. These ‘baggage reveals’ occur sequentially in the play, with each character receiving their own moment of vulnerability, confrontation and healing. While fair and touching, they do leave us wanting slightly more struggle, perhaps, because it feels rare that one encounter can seem to set a person so free. Additionally, while the basic visual symbolism of the literal unpacking of baggage, used to portray the characters’ healing process, is arguably unoriginal, the actual contents of each character’s bag prove incredibly intriguing as we are invited to decipher the deeper significance of the unpacked items. 

Ultimately, this moving production of honest and nuanced performances challenges us to stop trying to face our baggage alone. And, no, most of us probably don’t need to fly to South America and take a month-long trip with a couple of total strangers to offload it, but maybe we should look around ourselves and see who might be waiting in the wings willing to undertake the pursuit of joy with us.

List of creatives

Writer: Safaa Benson-Effiom

Director: Brigitte Adela

Lighting Designer: Catja Hamilton

Sound Designer: Emily Rose Simons

Choreographer: Emily Robsinson

Stage Manager: Summer Keeling

The Pursuit of Joy plays at Jermyn Street Theatre as part of the Footprints Festival until 27th January 2024. 

Further information and bookings can be found here.

The Pursuit of Joy is also available with captioning for audience members who would find this helpful.

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