In a play that feels in development yet still manages to entertain, female friendships and family ties are examined in original, sometimes gruesome ways.Rating
OK
The play is the thing – and with Sunk Into the Earth, we have a story that gradually becomes compelling, as it slowly reveals itself to be a bit of a mystery thriller. Written by Charlotte Ritter, it roves and rambles through chit-chat, monologues and duologues, painting a female friendship group in a confusing cycle of anxiety.
A group of friends gather for chats, drinks, reminiscences and flirtations. Only one of them seems to identify as not the lesbian in the room, bold and defiant, although even she dumps her boyfriend and generally concurs with the group as to how useless men are.
Meeting for pizza and wine, the women are firm friends and are open with their tensions and fears – for their pasts and indeed their futures. It seems the earth does not always move for everyone, but rather it can hold you and rot. One mourns the loss of her dead baby, another fears the future for her unborn child. The others worry about connecting with someone special, male or female. But overshadowing it all is the late arrival of the ex-prisoner who chopped off her brother-in-law’s head and put it in a fridge! No surprises to learn she is called Salome and is played with increasingly complex sensitivity as she both defends her actions and seeks to seduce her ex-lover. This heightened reality at times lacks vocal attack, and the emotional bridges are not always crossed or sustained. Yet this is a slow burn of a story, and with some clever switching of time and contrasting scenes (direction by Lauryn Sherwood), the narrative draws the audience in. Situations, experiences, and character details slowly get revealed, even if at times these are incongruent and insubstantial.
Abuse runs throughout the piece: of friendship and lovers, husbands and wives, and, eventually, we learn, of father and child. As a counterpoint, there is some dark humour; as the sisters share their history, it is plainly explained that just because your dad is bad doesn’t make you a lesbian!
The design is simple, with a sofa and table, and the kitchen and living room are marked by light changes. The relationships, however, are complex, as identities shift and confuse; the mother of Julie (partner of the pregnant Joan) is said to be grappling with a range of pronouns, as she thinks only a man can be a dad. The script ranges across styles and tropes, and often the dialogue is superficial: “All things will be fine” feels unconvincing. As the socialising progresses, so do the anxieties, but the character of Lilly certainly conveys an increasingly assured performance, and the relationship with Salome is, at times, absorbing. Salome has a weekly visit from her sister, only to discover that blood is not necessarily thicker than water – of which I will say no more to avoid a plot spoiler.
The miming to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ while the two ex-lovers rummage through their feelings for one another in the kitchen is arresting. “I was falling in love, now I’m only falling apart” seems a suitable lyric to echo the emotional journey for them all. Direction is inventive at times, and the breaking of the fourth wall is in keeping with the disruptive nature of the piece. Nonetheless, this really feels like a play that is in development, and I’m sure, when honed and refined, it will become even more gripping when it returns next year.
Writer & Co-Producer: Charlotte Ritter
Designer: Theo Ambrosini
Set Design: Isabelle Dickey
Props: Natalie Haven
Intimacy Director: Liz Kent
Co-Producer & Sound Design: Jillian Osborne
Lighting Design: Caro Vinden
Directorial & Dramaturgical Advisor: Sara Brodie
Sunk Into The Earth has completed its run at The Lambeth Fringe
