Edward Bond's 1965 play is revived at Lyric Hammersmith with impeccable performances that only heighten the dark power of the script.
Edward Bond’s Saved is presented for the first time in twenty-five years at Lyric Hammersmith. The theatre practically buzzes with excitement and expectation… and we are not disappointed.
Set amongst south London council estates, we follow the lives of a dysfunctional family and their lodger Len. Len (Morgan Watkins) struggles to find hope as the girl he loves gives birth to another man's unwanted child. Meanwhile the parents’ of the family endure a miserable, robototic relationship that tears them all apart.
To begin with, the characters seem like endearing rough diamonds. As the play goes on, rage turns them into angry, hysteric, individuals – but we can understand why. You can sense the destitution in their stagnant lives. With no prospects ahead of them, they are consumed by hopelessness.
There is a distinct lack of maternal instinct in both mothers, which leads to one of the play’s most notorious scenes in which a neglected baby is stoned to death in its pram. The audience squirms and gasps, faces are hidden and someone walks out. The pram is left in the middle of the stage in what turns out to be the play's most symbolic moment, leaving the audience to imagine the mess inside. “The baby is saved,” we are told “saved from a non-existent life”.
The grand Lyric proscenium arch forms a paradoxical backdrop to the mundane and minimal existence displayed on stage. Like the character's lives, the set is cold, grim and clinical. And though it was a bit odd for Bond to declare that his play predicted the riots, there are definite parallels to the social collapse witnessed in August. A culture of blame unfolds on stage alongside the consequences of social unrest and a moral emptiness so often associated with the working-class.
The combination of impeccable performances (particularly from charming but downtrodden Watkins), dark humour and power make Saved an unforgettable show.
Saved runs at Lyric Hammersmith until 5th November.
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