Jo Sutherland finds Sarah Kane as unsettling as ever.
Once again, I find myself feeling a little dirty inside. Having read the majority of Sarah Kane’s work, I should know what to expect. The blood shouldn’t shock me. The never-ending blowjob scenes shouldn’t make me silently beg the floor to swallow me whole. And the unrelenting darkness should not faze me. But it does. It always does. And Reduced Circumstance’s production of Phaedra’s Love is no exception.
Phaedra, queen to the people, is desperately and irrationally in love with her grotesque stepson, Prince Hippolytus. Hippolytus is depressed and bored and to make life bearable, he has sex with everyone – including his half-sister, Phaedra’s daughter – even though, apparently he dislikes intercourse. Without spoiling the story; there’s a death, followed by an angry rabble, a riot and a rape, creating a cloud of gloom that certainly reflects Kane’s own darkness.
A projector screen displays images relating to this summer’s riots, Princess Diana and the Royal Wedding, rather bluntly conveying director Bronwen Carr’s suggestion that the play is still relevant today. In the face of economic turmoil, social unrest, riots, and the like, some people may consider the play a very warped mirror, reflecting the ugly parts of our culture today. Others may think it questions the role of the monarchy. And there will be those who think it’s simply a filth-fest.
The set is aptly dank and disturbing – the perfect environment to witness Hippolytus sitting in his own filth, eating a McDonald's, and masturbating with a sock. At times the staging is clever and at other times, confusing. Audience members may miss whole scenes due to the sometimes nonsensical use of the space. The acting also lets the production down. Staging a Kane play requires a connection to the text (however difficult), and at times this just doesn’t happen. Truthfully portraying irrational and intense sexual longing for an unhygienic and disgusting slob is tough, but essential to the play. The comedy of the piece, however dark, can only be fully realised if the audience believes the insanity of it all. And unfortunately, I didn’t believe the characters' internal processes or external actions.
Saying that, the play does not lack energy and the cast is enthusiastic and driven – especially during the culminating riot scene. Such energy makes sure that Phaedra’s Love is bold, daring and fearless, but not as thought-provoking as a Kane play should be.
Phaedra's Love runs at Arcola Theatre until 22nd October.
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