Review: When It Happens To You, Park Theatre

Review: When It Happens To You, Park Theatre

Summary

Rating

80

Excellent

A taut psychological and emotional journey. When It Happens To You unflinchingly examines the long term effects of rape on all members of a family.

An actor enters the stage from each of the four corners and faces the audience.  The set is bare save the lit outline of a city at the back. This is a performance that is all about the acting and the story. And in particular Amanda Abbington’s performance, which is spell binding.

Unusually there is no build up to the hideous theme. Tara (Abbington) turns immediately to the audience at the start to describe the phone call she received from her grown up daughter in the early hours of the morning crying for help: she has been raped. Violently.  Horrifically. She is still in her apartment, in New York, some hours’ drive from her mother.  Is there a worse call as a mother to take she asks? How do we reply? What word can we use to describe that act? Initially the script follows the immediate actions that are required; police statements, invasive searches, relentless horror.

Throughout, Abbington turns to address the audience as a confidante, before switching back to the action where she is an incensed mother or breezy police advocate. Forever in charge of her emotions, she is trying to be everything to everyone. It’s hard to overstate the power of Abbington’s performance: she moves from taut psychological horror to humour, to mother, divorcee, and estranged parent with ease. Holding the audience in her hands we live the emotions with her.  

Esme, the victim and Tara’s daughter is played by Rosie Day. Similarly accomplished and nuanced we watch her disintegrate in front of our eyes, seemingly losing weight as her edges get sharper and her eyes lose focus with her emotional disintegration.  

Much of this script beautifully articulates the devastation that is created in the wake of such an invasive, violent act. For the victim and their family. In every part of their life, for decades to come. As a mother, Tara internalises much of the emotional and physical destruction, and indeed the brunt of the emotional support requirement, but Esme’s brother Connor (Miles Molan) is also affected, and the family slowly disintegrate, each intent on either survival at all costs or self-harm.

There is an unexpected turn, no spoilers here, but the storyline works, and we are reminded, with facts and figures, of the extent of sexual abuse and rape committed against women. And the need to speak out.

This is an accomplished script that allows the audience to share the horror and full repercussions of the incident. It is also structured so that the horror is mitigated with natural humour and is, almost, bearable. All actors are skilled, Tok Stephen in particular playing multiple characters, never creating confusion. But it is Abbington and Day that steal the show.

Written by: Tawni O’Dell

Directed by: Jez Bond

When It Happens To You plays at the Park Theatre until Saturday 31st August. Further information and booking are available here.