“an incredibly hard-working cast, that have excelled in portraying an immensely gripping story”
From the moment I walked in, there was an immediate tense and eerie atmosphere. It was dark, there was no music and it was silent, and now having seen the show, one can only speculate that the reason for this was to highlight how victims of domestic violence, are suffering in silence. Written and directed by Scott James, ‘Between a Man and a Woman’ is an extremely powerful production. James certainly doesn’t shy away from tackling such a taboo subject, and his cast undoubtedly deliver a raw and emotional performance.
Tom (Millin Thomas) and Polly (Jasmin Gleeson) appear to be a happy married couple, but things begin to change. Tom repeatedly abuses his partner, he hits, kicks, bites, strangles, and at one point even rapes his wife. This was a difficult scene to watch. It was uncomfortable and at times I wanted to look away, but then I’d be turning a blind eye, a typical reaction some people have when dealing with abuse.
This dark and disturbing piece gave me goosebumps throughout, and Jasmin’s performance as the very fragile and vulnerable Polly, was outstanding. Thomas’ performance as the violent, manipulative Tom, was equally as good. What I found so intriguing about his performance, was his ability to suddenly switch from being manic and child-like (often mimicking his wife), to an aggressive, sinister young man. It was clear that he had a very split personality, and Thomas did a remarkable job at conveying his erratic and unpredictable behaviour.
The whole cast have dedicated a lot of time, energy and commitment into producing what I believe, is one of the best Fringe shows in London. One can only imagine that rehearsing a piece about domestic violence isn’t just physically draining, but also mentally and emotionally too. This is an incredibly hard-working cast, that have excelled in portraying an immensely gripping story.
However, I can’t help but wonder what difference it would have made if James had reversed the roles around. So, instead of a man abusing a woman, it would have been a woman abusing a man. This would have been interesting to watch, as it’s very unusual to see a production that not only tackles such a sensitive topic, but where the woman adopts the role as the abuser and the man is the victim. Nevertheless, this was still a very well executed performance.
During this 90-minute production, the audience soon become aware that Tom, and his younger brother Harry (Greg Arundell), were both physically abused by their father during their childhood. Here, James somewhat asks the question if abuse is hereditary or imitated, and if the vicious cycle of abuse can ever be broken. This is a harrowing piece of drama, that really does make you think.
Towards the end, Polly seeks help from her friend and soon escapes her abusive husband. Polly later confronts her abuser and says “you broke me.” This is such a poignant line and I couldn’t help but get very emotional.
One can only hope that this well-written production transfers to a bigger venue in London, so it can raise even more awareness about domestic violence to a much wider audience. All in all, I feel so fortunate to have witnessed such a remarkable piece of theatre.
“The show died a painful death … leaving us few audience members in a sixth kind of silence – a stunned silence.”
The sound of gunfire rings through the black box theatre. Billy staggers on stage in a blood stained shirt. His two daughters have shot him. He falls to the floor, taking in his last breath. Billy is dead.
This opening scene of KC Productions revival of Shelagh Stephenson’s Five Kinds Of Silence unfortunately symbolised the outcome for the rest of the performance. The show died a painful death, resembling that of Billy’s, and leaving us few audience members in a sixth kind of silence – a stunned silence.
Stephenson’s play is a harrowing tale of abuse, which is a brave choice for any theatre company to pick, as it requires its actors to dig deep and tackle very sensitive issues. We watch a family’s story unravel as Billy’s children, Susan and Janet, reveal the motives for killing their father. They expose a lifetime of physical, mental and sexual abuse that they, and their mother Mary, had endured at the hands of Billy. In a series of monologues that interject between the police interviews and therapy sessions, we discover the cyclical, repetitive nature of abuse as Mary and Billy (in metaphysical form) recount the bleak, violent years of their childhood.
The small space of the Etcetera Theatre helped to give a sense of the claustrophobia that the women, Susan, Janet and Mary, would have felt whilst imprisoned in their own home. However, this was not enough to relieve my underlying indifference to the atrocities described by all. The constant bombardment of distress and grief, with no lighter moments to counterbalance, meant that you became numb to the families suffering with events becoming banal – not the outcome the playwright or company desired I am sure.
Performances from the cast felt heavy handed and lacked any subtlety that these very complex characters needed. Directorial choices made by Chris Diacopoulos left me rather bewildered, reaching its pinnacle when the opening scene is repeated at the close, and actor Kevin G Cormack, playing the role of Billy, shouts out “Bang! Bang!” crudely making the noise of the gun that fires the fatal shots at him. Why the vocal talents of the actor were used instead of the sound effect we heard at the top of the show, will remain a mystery.
The final nail in the coffin for this production was the play itself. Having been originally written for the radio, Five Kinds Of Silence was adapted for the stage at a later date. The show was deprived of any real visual theatricality, depending on the long, descriptive monologues to paint the dramatic picture, as you would expect from a radio play. The company tried to make up for this, but to no avail. Instead, their sudden physical outbursts of emotion came across as unnatural and disjointed. As much as I tried to find a redeemable feature, I struggled, as this lacklustre production failed to make a worthy impression.
