Surreal, dark and more than a little cryptic, Deborah Levy's writing is always interesting if not entertaining.
Five minutes into Nadia Papachronopoulou’s Clam and we know we’re in the presence of talented actors who know something we don’t. They’re able to make sense of a surreal narrative that dips and peaks without cause. Scenes flick between the confused undersea picnics of Alice (Emma West) and Harry (Matt Houlihan) to the kitchen of square Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and his passionate wife Nadya. Into the mix is thrown an American interrogator and his supposedly Soviet prisoner.
Weaved into a poetic script are themes that will resonate with every audience: Along Alice’s radioactive beach lie corpses as everything fades into extinction. In the Lenin-Krupskya home and at Harry and Alice’s tea party, discerning, passionate women are paired with whiney men selfishly wrapped up in their own art. All the while their womenfolk are plucking chickens and pouring tea. Houlihan stands out as a versatile performer with a tangible degree of control over his audience, able to effortlessly set them to cringe, laugh and back to cringe again.
There's no doubt that writer Deborah Levy is hitting a few nails on their heads, but which ones exactly is up for debate. Poetic it may be, but it’s also cryptic and lacks cohesion. This could be a clever juxtaposition of politics, relationships and the position of women in society but it could also be some poor sod's very bad dream.
Honey/Baby on the other hand needs no narrative. It's an exploration of relationships, love and identity, with hilariously entertaining characters. Via the thoughts of two couples and a loose-cannon that may or may not be their conscience, we hear the brutally honest realities, hopes and confessions of each individual. Levy shocks us with the universality of our delusions.
Ernest (Stephen Cheriton) and Mary (Chloe Thorpe) belong to Middle England; it defines them, but sometimes Mary, who's a sandwich short of a picnic, needs reminding. Ella (Amanda Fernando-Stevens) and Pavel (Philip Honeywell) who are only ever referred to as 'Honey' or 'Baby' want what they want, but accept what they get. Though probably not forever...
The Madcap conscience (James Kenward) with issues of his own, taps into Ernest's homosexual tendencies, Mary's suppressed memories, and Pavel and Ella's identity issues with brute force and a compelling, schizophrenic display of accents.
The plays are both brilliantly directed by Papachronopoulou who clearly knows how to get the best from her actors, and has managed to keep a complex script from overwhelming the audience. These surreal, dark comedies will leave you a little dazed, but grinning nonetheless.
Clam & Honey/Baby runs at White Bear Theatre until 07.03.10
Photo Credit: Jonycunha & ktylerconk
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