Tag Archives: Finborough Theatre

Into the Numbers – 4 Stars

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Numbers

Into the Numbers

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed – 4th January 2018

★★★★

“the play explores with sophistication philosophical arguments about the human psyche and behaviour”

 

Genocide, suicide and depression, feature heavily within Into The Numbers, making this a night of difficult yet powerful viewing. It’s certainly not for those who like their theatre brimming with light-hearted fluffiness. Making its European debut, Into The Numbers commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre in China, whilst coinciding with the Finborough Arms’ 150th anniversary year. As the title and anniversaries suggest, numerical figures are a key feature to this harrowing play, which explores the toll it has on one person who carries the burden of acknowledging hundreds of thousands of deaths.

In the December of 1937, Nanking, the capital of China at the time, suffered one of the worst genocides of the 20th century, perpetuated by the hands of the Japanese army. Around 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were raped, tortured and murdered in the most brutal and barbaric manner imaginable. Flash forward to 2004, American author and journalist Iris Chang, who won critical acclaim for her book The Rape of Nanking, which brought the Chinese atrocity back into public recognition, committed suicide at the age of just 36.

Into The Numbers begins in the form of an authentic lecture and interview with Iris Chang (played by Elizabeth Chan), but soon spirals into a chaotic cacophony between real life and the surreal, as ghosts of the Nanking Massacre begin to haunt Iris. Deeply disturbed yet devoted to her research, the psychological effects of investigating genocide prove to be a fatal one for Iris, as the horrors she unearthed help prompt her gradual mental breakdown and ultimately, her tragic death.

Written by multi-award winning American playwright Christopher Chen, the play explores with sophistication philosophical arguments about the human psyche and behaviour. Particularly, how the incessant images of terror that saturate the media effects us, as well as, whether our fascination with blood and brutality is part of our human makeup.

As mentally and emotionally draining as it is to sit through, it is refreshing to see a production that is so intellectually stimulating. Elizabeth Chan gives a wonderfully nuanced performance as Iris, slowly deteriorating into a frenzied state, succumbing to her existential nightmares. Timothy Knightley equally gives a notable turn, multi-roling between playing Iris’ husband, doctor and interviewer. Unfortunately scene changes at times feel clunky and abrupt, due to these two actors hardly leaving the stage, and Knightley having to awkwardly jump from one character to the next in the blink of an eye. However, this is only a marginal grumble for a play that is enlightening and leaves you overwhelmed by the gumption Iris Chang possessed in her fight for recognition of the Nanking Massacre.

 

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

Photography by Scott Rylander

 


Into the Numbers

Finborough Theatre until 27th January

 

 

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Review of The Melting Pot – 4 Stars

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Melting

The Melting Pot

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed – 4th December 2017

★★★★

“the key themes throughout the play chillingly relate to our current social and political climate”

 

In the midst of the current refugee crisis it seems only appropriate that Israel Zangwill’s The Melting Pot: The Great American Drama is revived for the first time in the UK since 1938. The play revolves around a family of Jewish immigrants set decades before the atrocities of the Holocaust were committed. It is rather unnerving to think that the key themes throughout the play chillingly relate to our current social and political climate.

This is particularly evident when Quincy Davenport, a character who is set to inherit his family’s oil money and actively disassociates himself with the latest arrivals from Ellis Island, refers to the immigrants as a ‘swarm.’ Sound familiar? I believe it was our former Prime Minister that referred to the crisis as ‘a swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean’ only two years ago.

The story of The Melting Pot follows young composer David Quixano, who, after fleeing the conflict from his home in Russia, speaks passionately about the idea of America being a multicultural hub hosting a range of nationalities. He falls for a Christian Russian immigrant causing great tension within both families. Whilst the story itself arguably lacks a little depth, it is ideal for displaying the ways in which history can easily repeat itself, and why seemingly small parallels are important to recognise.

The story came alive, albeit with a couple of slip-ups, through a well-chosen cast, the most notable performances coming from Alexander Gatehouse as Quincy Davenport, and Steffan Cennydd as David Quixano. Both actors embodied their characters spectacularly, with Cennydd fully embodying a Jewish New York accent which clashed well with Gatehouse’s depiction of an upper class elitist, also from New York.

The Finborough was the ideal theatre venue for such an intimate drama. The proximity of the audience to the action allowed for an intense piece of storytelling with a minimal set and immense focus on the action. This however, often drew more attention to small hiccups throughout the performance.

Overall, I hope this will be the beginning of several revivals or adaptations of Zangwill’s play over the next few years as the message within is incredibly relevant. It is important to highlight these parallels in order to start asking questions as what we, as a society, can do to prevent history from truly repeating itself.

 

Reviewed by Claire Minnitt

 

 

The Melting Pot

is at the Finborough Theatre until 19th December

 

 

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