Woman Bomb at Tristan Bates Theatre

Woman Bomb at Tristan Bates Theatre

11 March, 2011
by: JoSuthers

Jo Sutherland reviews the UK premiere of Woman Bomb by Ivana Sajko.

Just a Must presents the UK debut of a multi-award winning Croatian playwright, Ivana Sajko, known for her provocative and radical plays that set out to test the boundaries of contemporary theatre. Woman Bomb offers a unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of a female suicide bomber.

We witness the last twelve minutes and thirty-six seconds before the bomb that is attached to this woman's spine detonates. The audience are steered through the bomber’s internal thought-processes, as she reflects upon her actions and the circumstances that lead her to these last moments. The text includes real-life documentary: excerpts from newspaper articles, as well as research material provided by various international centres for counter-terrorism, but I find the play difficult to digest.

The script itself is described as “a monologue for a woman-bomb, a nameless politician, his bodyguards and mistress, God, a choir of angels, a worm, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa...” The monologue, thirty pages of continuous text, is divided into three parts, but, unfortunately, those parts don't help us connect with these women. Perhaps that's the point but a lack of connection with the characters does the play no favours.

The bombardment of voices in a production that lacks a sense of unity makes for a bit of a head melt. The language is, on occasion, beautiful – but as a piece of theatre it lacks depth, substance and plausibility. The direction of the piece comes across as one-dimensional and I find the repetitive use of intense stares, dramatic pauses, shouting, and the relentless “tick-tock, tick-tock” somewhat tedious and irritating. Given the intrinsic drama of the subject matter, such theatrical effects are simply unnecessary.

On a positive note, the visual aspects of the production are well thought-out, and include some aesthetically pleasing images. The lighting scheme has to be credited – it's slick and changes the pace, tone and rhythm of the piece brilliantly. At one point, one of the characters bathes naked in the background (facing away, so not too provocative), and her shadow is cast on the opposite wall, creating a sense of a woman’s sanctuary. Beautiful. A projector screen highlights some strong and powerful images; although at some points the video footage feels, again, a little unnecessary. For example I’m not sure the repetitive clip of lactating breasts being squeezed adds an extra dynamic to the piece. We know it’s about women. We know it draws on the parallels of giving and taking life. We don’t need breasts and milk excretion to further the point.

However, criticisms aside, I leave the theatre knowing and understanding a little more about this violent form of protest. The reality of female suicide bombers is an area that I haven't considered in depth, and in that respect the production is certainly thought-provoking.

Woman Bomb runs at Tristan Bates Theatre until 12th March. 

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JoSuthers