Prurience
Southbank Centre
Reviewed – 19th July 2017
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Pippa Winslow plays the face of the system fantastically”
Christopher Green’s “Prurience” is a piece of immersive theatre that works on a multitude of levels. Firstly, the awkward, disorganised setting up of ‘the meeting’ and the initial opening words and exercises; we all know why we are there… we all know why we have come …
Next, not getting down to the specifics of pornography addiction serves to highlight some of the potentials problems with the self-help system, such as the impersonality and having a weak group leader (Christopher Green plays this character incredibly well) supported by a corporation whose vested interest is more in ensuring that the people who need help, continue needing help. This really emphasises the satirical nature of the piece and Amelia Atkins (Pippa Winslow) is fantastic at playing the face of the system in a mocking corporate video.
However, things start to get really interesting when the group starts to stray away from the “Prurience” method and begin to speak their mind. The really outstanding thing with this piece is the structure, and the piece being so immersive really lends itself to what Green is setting out to achieve.
Prurience will leave you guessing and thinking long after you’ve left the theatre, questioning what is real and what is fantasy, highlighting exactly how pornography can so easily blur these boundaries. Green also makes some beautiful points about conscious consumption, the abundance of pornography and the access and availability to it, particular at much younger ages. The points, however, feel slightly rushed within the piece overall, as the structure demands so much of your attention.
Reviewed by Thomas Perks
Prurience
is at the Southbank Centre until 30th July
