Review: Save Me at Union Theatre

Review: Save Me at Union Theatre

07 September, 2012
by: Naima Khan

Naima Khan reviews Save Me, a messy take on the even messier life of Zelda Fitzgerald.

Although an extremely reductive way of looking at a play, there is a tell-tale moment in Save Me that on reflection helps me make up my mind about it. The bolshy Zelda, young, rebellious and determined, meets her husband to be, F. Scott Ftizgerald, and declares “I want to be held not bound!” 

Now, if you're feeling this moment of clarity, head to Union before the run ends on 29th September. However, if you find this banal as heck, steer clear because there are moments like this scattered throughout Caroline af Peteresens' script about the life of the Southern Belle turned flapper girl who ends up depressed and institutionalised in the shadow of her successful husband. 

While the script floats many ideas and images past us, it presents its audience with little to really grasp at and enjoy. At times Zelda's need to be noticed by her husband rings out and makes me think of the evolving relationships between the genders since her time; at others, she is irritatingly childish, pernickity to the point of triteness and incredibly frustrating. As much as this is by design - Zelda is supposed to be unpleasant company as she struggles fruitlessly to craft an identity for herself – it lacks any charm. 

This is a lot to do with how the part is written although Sherry Newton's in-your-face southern accent doesn't help. At best it's a nod to Zelda's background and melodramatic reaction to her husband's neglect, at worst it's horribly distracting. This isn't entirely her fault, the direction throughout the show isn't particularly wise and although the premise of the story is interesting, the show is overly long and Zelda's need to babble on in literary prose to prove that she has potential becomes tired when it should be engrossing. 

Frances Moore who plays Scott Fitzgerlad has an equally difficult time finding the tone of his character. When he is dismissive and happy to plagiarise his wife he soars, but when Scott dons a skirt and dances with the butler, this character looses any strength or clarity he might have brought to the script. Zelda wears his trousers too, for a brief moment, and if the point is that this husband and wife duo are irrevocably reliant on the identity of their other half, there are much subtler ways to do it. 

Sadly, the space isn't used well either, except a nice decision to place dining tables in the front row so that the audience feels like part of the scene. However, the rest of the design screams fringe and does nothing to depict the decadent lifestyle of the Fitzgeralds. Similarly, the use of film feels pointless. When it's used for comedy and the characters acknowledge it, it can work but although it doesn't jar with the rest of the show, it adds nothing but time.


Save Me runs at Union Theatre until 29th September. 


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Naima Khan