A spectacular chain of events where the lines between truth and scandal become blurred and humour and severity coincide to tell a truly compelling piece of history. summary
Rating
Unmissable!
On 15 November 1889 an article from the Bradford Daily Telegraph reported about a scandal involving a homosexual male brothel in London, the report said “We hear on good authority that two men of social standing have been arrested by Inspector Abberline in connection with the unspeakable scandal in the West End. They have not been brought before the magistrates in public, but as Inspector Abberline was in the magistrates’ private room on Tuesday, and several of the boy witnesses in the case were seen in the precincts of the Court, it is suggested that the case may have been heard in private.”
Until 1967, homosexuality in Britain was illegal, and many individuals, including celebrities Oscar Wilde and John Gielgud, would be arrested and imprisoned for ‘gross indecency.’ The Flea addresses just a handful of the many arrests which would occur over the next seventy-eight years.
The Flea portrays this scandal through the use of a cleaver and articulately written script put into the form of a play which takes place in London not long after Jack the Ripper had been reported. The story revolves around a young man who has a job delivering telegrams Charlie Swinscow (Tomás Azocar-Nevin) and his recently widowed mother Emily Swinscow (Breffni Holahan). Charlie is suspected of stealing money, but it is soon revealed that Charlie has been secretly working alongside his co-worker and love interest Henry Newlove (Stefan Race) at a male brothel to earn some extra money. When Detective Abberline (Will Bliss) and Constable Hanks (Aaron Gill) are sent to investigate the case the small world of the Swinscow family gets turned upside down.
The series of unfortunate events which The Flea presents go from a poor mother and son, to other homosexuals who were involved in the brothel, to the royal family, as one small incident sparks a wildfire of a scandal involving the papers and threatens to ruin the lives and reputation of many prominent individuals. However, The Flea does not present itself as a melodrama but rather a series of individuals involved in a case of whodunnit. No one is at fault and no one is innocent. The characters move about the stage as a shadow figure dressed in black follows them, as if they are haunted by the secret of their very identity.
In spite of such a serious topic, The Flea does a fantastic job at implementing humour into the script. This delicate balance of humour and serious is phenomenally portrayed by the actors who individually take on multiple characters impeccably. At one point the case is brought forth to Queen Victoria (Holahan) who sits high above everyone and everything else representing her power and authority. The Queen speaks to her son Bertie (Azocar-Nevin) about the incident, and the audience cannot help but laugh at the clownish ways which the Queen and Bertie are presented. Although the Queen may loom high above everyone Holahan does an amazing job as portraying her as someone who may seem like she has everything under control but is actually deeply insecure and unsure about what to do.
The theme of appearing like everything is alright when in actuality things are falling apart presents itself throughout the show in a world so delicate where something as tiny as a flea can cause an unspeakable amount of chaos and disaster.
Written by James Fritz
Directed by Jay Miller
Set Design by: Naomi Kuyck-Cohen
The Flea plays at The Yard Theatre until 30 November. Further information and bookings available here.
