Review: Something Clean, Lion & Unicorn Theatre

As a woman, you are taught to fear men you don’t know. Danger is always outside the house, something that could never come from someone you trust, something that affects a singular person, and you better be careful it’s not you. Selina Fillinger’s Something Clean not only shows danger coming from inside the house, but also its ripple effects on the people surrounding the abuse. This 2019 play is currently running at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in what is a masterful and deeply touching performance. 

Whenever the subject of rape and sexual abuse is approached by a creative, there is an expectation of both accuracy and delicacy that can be hard to balance. This production has consulted The Survivor’s Trust in order to get it right, and it shows. They have approached the material in a respectful manner – never falling into an exaggeration or a parody of what is a traumatising experience – while keeping it honest and never afraid to be blunt and direct with the truth. The show focuses on the rarely talked about private aspects of sexual abuse: victims years after the fact, the people who surround victims and abusers, and the small ways in which so many daily lives are changed by one despicable action. Director Alex Stroming’s deep understanding and respect for the subject are at the core of this production’s success. 

Agathe Williamson’s stage is minimal: a white table and two white chairs that are moved to depict different spaces. On the corner, almost as if hidden, are bags filled with trash. The stage perfectly represents the state of the show’s protagonist: neat and tidy, ignoring that which disgusts her. It changes alongside her, and when the climax of the story arrives, and the trash bags are thrown around and destroyed, both Charlotte and the audience are invited to fully acknowledge the situation at hand. This minimalism supports the private nature of the show, becoming an intimate space for the characters to exist in; it is a purposeful set that embodies the show’s spirit. Stroming’s sound design rounds out this set with the use of camera clicks to transition between scenes, as if caught by reporters and paparazzi. The show’s inciting incident is the public catching and trial of a rape case, and these sounds are a reminder of that which haunts the characters as much as it does the audience.  

The trio of actors that take on the roles of Charlotte, Joey and Doug are exceptional, building onto each other to present a fully rounded experience that is the beating heart of the show. Katherine Oliver’s Charlotte is spectacular at portraying the complexities of a woman in this situation, especially in the little moments, subtle expressions, and tics developed. Lawrence Carmichael’s Doug manages to portray a man of deep complexities, embodying a softer side that rounds up the performance. Felipe Chavez’s Joey is fantastic at portraying a trauma survivor and the ups and downs of the experience with both respect and love. The confession in the middle of the show about Joey’s past experience, about his feelings towards his abuser and his mother, is one of the most potent and resonant moments of the show. It perfectly captures the themes of the story and is carried by Chavez’s wonderful depiction of a man carrying the consequences of an atrocity done to him. 

Something Clean is not an easy play to watch due to its subject matter, but it’s an important acknowledgement of the full reality of the situation. This production has really put in the effort necessary to do this show and this reality proper justice, making it an unmissable experience. 

Director/Sound Design: Alex Stroming
Writer: Selina Fillinger
Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Jessica Potts
Costume Designer: Emily Nelson
Set Designer: Agathe Williamson
Movement Director: Tutu Ching
Lighting Designer: Phil Hamilton
Intimacy Director: Liz Kent
Voice and Dialect Coach/Marketing Assistant: Meighread Dandeneau 
Produced by: T. Regina Theatre Company
Consulted and Raising Awareness for: The Survivor’s Trust

Something Clean has completed its run at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre.