Spiked, written by Félicité du Jeu, and produced by Pepperbox Theatre, is “a play about mothers, by mothers”. It tells the story of three mothers: Karen (Daniella Dessa), Rozhin (Katie Clark) and Joanna (Charlotte Asprey), anxiously waiting in A&E where their children, along with the entire class, have been mysteriously taken ill. The story builds slowly and expertly to the final climax and we learn not only why the children are sick, but also about the mothers’ different lives and their relationships with their teenage children. Each of the characters come from very different backgrounds, and tensions about race, class, and different parenting styles all bubble under the surface. We move back and forth between the waiting room and flashbacks showing the day-to-day lives of each mother and her child.
The acting is very good overall, with each actor playing both a mother and the child of another mother. The latter is signified by a quick costume change into a school blazer and adopting an angsty attitude. While the scenes with the teens are enjoyable, the waiting room sections are the best part of the show, as we watch these three very different women handle being thrown together in a room during an incredibly difficult and stressful time. The characters all show some sort of development or change and Katie Clark’s character, Rozhin, is given the best speech. It should be noted that Clark’s Kurdish accent is strong throughout, thanks, in part, I imagine to the Kurdish advisor on the team, Abed Moftizadeh.
Cecilie Gravesen’s set design is excellent. There are five plastic waiting room chairs facing the audience in the intimate Stagespace at the Pleasance. Hanging from the ceiling, around the edges of the stage, are different shaped panels with grainy images on them: an estate, a hospital corridor, a wall covered in graffiti, and some smaller ones painted white, grey, and yellow.
The projection used throughout is done in the same grainy style as the panels. It is used to cleverly portray a narrow hospital corridor, with newspaper-style cut-out figures flashing up as though they are moving through the hall. These projections are used mainly during transitions, with the stage in a blackout and a hospital soundscape playing, which works well. However, almost all of the transitions are the same; some variety in them could keep the audience on their toes a little more.
The ending of the show bordered on cheesy and cliche but never quite crossed over, thanks to the control and command of the actors. Overall, Spiked is a touching, thoughtful, well-designed show that is absolutely worth a watch.
“Jaz Hutchins gives a stunning performance and makes the most of Ridley’s writing”
Novelist and playwright Philip Ridley has been cited as a pioneer of ‘in-yer-face’ theatre. Indeed his 1991 debut play The Pitchfork Disney was considered by many to have influenced the development of that style of work. In 2010 Ridley’s Moonfleece caused controversy when a Dudley arts centre cancelled a run as it felt the content “includes characters and themes of a political and potentially discriminatory nature”. The premise of the work is based around a gay relationship plus the advocates and victims of racism and homophobia. It traces a family with far right politics and the highly destructive and damaging results it eventually has on them.
Fast forward to 2018 and the Lidless Theatre are reviving Moonfleece in the compact stagespace studio at The Pleasance, London. Part of the project is supported by the Islington Youth Council who are serious about tackling the adverse impact hate crime has had on their community.
Upon entering the theatre it is clear the audience is going to feel part of the action, being up close and personal to the characters in the dilapidated East End tower block squat flat that the action will centre in. The set has two graffiti covered walls and the room is littered with debris and the seating is on two sides of the stage.
We are quickly introduced to the main character of the play – Curtis (Jamie Downie) a troubled young man who is part of a family hell-bent on spreading their fascist views to the surrounding neighbourhood. He returns uninvited to his old home with two of his henchman Tommy (Josh Horrocks) and the shaven headed unstable Gavin (Joshua Dolphin). They are dressed smartly, yet menacingly, in sharp grey suits with St George’s cross lapel badges on them. They are there for a séance in search of his lost brother’s ghost and over the next ninety minutes, we are introduced to a total of eleven characters who slowly add to the story that swings from shock violence to touching sadness. The main story is that of a dead brother who was banished by Curtis’ stepfather because of his sexual orientation. Though as with many Ridley plays, all is not what it initially seems.
When eventually the green haired wheelchair bound spiritual medium Nina (Adeline Waby) arrives the stage is ready for a showdown. There are a few characters that are arguably superfluous to the story but no doubt Ridley felt a reasonable need to include these to add both humour and further tension. The pace and substance of the play change when Zak arrives. Jaz Hutchins gives a stunning performance and makes the most of Ridley’s writing. It not only clarifies the story but it changes the pace and substance of the play.
Director Max Harrison has done well to revive this important piece of work, to fit so many characters into such a small space and to keep the pace moving well throughout. Designer Kit Hinchcliffe’s set makes the audience feel as though they really are in a squat. The lighting from Katy Gerard is basic though effective as is the sound design by Annie May Fletcher.
Overall this was a good showing of the play and as usual with Philip Ridley there is much to consider about the content when leaving the theatre.
