★★★

“well worth a jaunt back 400 years, if only to take a peek at ourselves”

“All is God’s will,” declares Puritan father Richard Edwards, trying to find comfort in his serial bereavement.

The Almighty’s works appear particularly capricious and cruel in writer/director Joanna Carrick’s careful re-examination of the 1645 witchcraft trials of Mistley and Manningtree.

Such is the Lord’s evident delight in his culling that he picks up his pace until his efforts appear indistinguishable from those of the Devil who also frequents these rural Essex byways, scaring horses, killing cows and taking the form of kitlings to fool innocent girls.

Despite this and with mighty hearts, Richard and wife Susan resolve on joy. They re-commit themselves to sin-free lives to ensure the next child escapes the Lord’s rapacious harvest and makes it out the cradle.

However, into this set-up comes tormented mope and wannabe witch-finder Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Moisy, burdened with a stutter and too many calcified pronouncements). He has other ideas, seeing sin everywhere but most especially in women who, in his eyes, are minxes, fornicators and sufficiently vacant between the ears for the Devil to take up residence without overcrowding.

From this brew – tragedy, suspicion, grief, religious fervour – a story of slow-burn paranoia and witchcraft emerges. Eventually, for the purposes of this drama, all is heaped on gullible and blubbing Rebecca West (a deft cameo by Rei Mordue) who exposes the hollow posturings of the vainglorious Matthew by dint of being little more than a screeching, immature girl playing silly games.

It is a time of superstition, mass delusion, blame, shame and misogyny. Never more relevant then.

The heart of this drama, though, remains the couple. Nadia Jackson as Susan gives a gut-wrenching portrayal of fathomless grief while booming Christopher Ashman is powerful and charming as a man with a predisposition to joy who finds himself lost in a world he once commanded but now rarely understands.

Under Carrick’s direction, this episodic play is never more effective than when these two are fumbling and flirting their way into an initially well-starred marriage. Their union remains strong, their chemistry palpable, and it is a shame that we lose sight of them when the story demands they temporarily relinquish character and each other in order to hurry home the message.

Indeed, these two performances outpace a script which never quite moves fast enough and, at times, becomes too enamoured of its own research, preferring a meticulous accumulation of oddities to a truly gripping rampant maelstrom of hysteria.

Susan’s growing bitterness and Richard’s surrender to casuistry are the slow, remorseless drumbeat of the piece. Don’t lose focus, we cry from the dark.

Although the drama never truly reaches the cathartic heights the story demands, these two performances of intensity and passion are truly admirable. The Ungodly is well worth a jaunt back 400 years, if only to take a peek at ourselves.

FOREVERLAND at Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★★

“a gorgeously heartfelt and intimate story”

Most of us have a gut reaction to the question ‘Would you like to live forever?’ But once it subsides, we discover that it is impossible to answer. The quandary is as old as life itself: nobody wants to die, but nobody wants to live forever either.

The recent progress in genetic research has allowed scientists to discover ways of slowing down the ageing process. Without trying to go into detail (and thereby revealing the extent of my ignorance) it has something to do with cellular reprogramming and altering molecules that turn DNA on and off. A bit like restarting a computer. It works on worms. And mice. This is science fact. Enabling humans to live forever may still be science fiction, but only for about another decade, according to Emma Hemingford’s stylish and imaginative new play “Foreverland”.

There is the danger that tackling such a subject can lead to a rather dull essay involving the characters discussing abstract concepts. But Hemingford avoids all the potential clichés and truisms, and instead weaves the complexities and conundrums into a gorgeously heartfelt and intimate story. One that centres on a romantic relationship that is instantly recognisable and relatable.

Jay (Christopher York) and Alice (Emma McDonald) are a couple in their thirties, about to embark on treatment to prolong their lives – perhaps indefinitely. It is a fairly risk-free surgical procedure, but pre-op nerves are kicking in. The treatment is irreversible. But there is a ‘get out’ clause later down the line. Both York and McDonald capture this essence perfectly in the opening scene, with humour and poignancy. Aided by Valerie Antwi’s deliciously cool and mockingly sympathetic Doctor Lane, we get a clear insight into the bonds, and the cracks, in their marriage; along with subtle, almost invisible, hints as to how the drama might unfold.

Director Frederick Wienand guides the play’s characters through specific leaps in time with effortless artistry. We fast forward a few years in a matter of seconds; scene changes flashing before us indicated by the performers’ evolving mannerisms and inflections, like the rapidly moving hands of the clock. Except in Jay and Alice’s world, the pressure of the clock has gone. The performances are captivating as the couple navigate their journey towards immortality. Is it idyllic or terrifying? In their own way, York and McDonald explore what having unlimited time does to them psychologically. Jay and Alice soon have a daughter (the wonderfully natural and dynamic Emily Butler), who soon grows up into the radical adult who questions her parent’s choices (Una Byrne). What does the promise of unlimited time mean for the world; socially, ethically, and politically? Byrne’s fiery influence not only shakes up the onstage characters, but it urges us all to take stock and consider our own views.

“Foreverland” can be seen as a parable for our time. One that goes far deeper than the ‘be-careful-what-you-wish-for’ résumé. We suddenly find ourselves in uncomfortable territory. Immortality, it seems, is only for the privileged. Progress only happens when people die. Big topics, but the writing condenses them into human emotions and domestic quibbles that resonate on a personal level. Not every emotion rings true, and there are a couple of moments when we are not sure what informs their decisions, but the performances remain powerful – right through to the heart-wrenching final scene. The silence that hovers above the audience reflects the stillness of the closing dialogue. Like the pause before the next heartbeat. There is one final choice to make.

Part fairy-tale, part docudrama, part sci-fi, part kitchen-sink, part love story, part comedy, part dystopia; but fully engaging, gripping, intelligent and funny. A fresh and intriguing take on one of mankind’s oldest obsessions. You might think you have all the time in the world, but don’t leave it too long to see this show.

THE UNGODLY at Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“well worth a jaunt back 400 years, if only to take a peek at ourselves”

THE UNGODLY at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 24th October 2024

by Giles Broadbent

Photography by Bernie Totten

Previously reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

THE UNGODLY

THE UNGODLY

FOREVERLAND at Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★★

“a gorgeously heartfelt and intimate story”

FOREVERLAND at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 4th October 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Charlie Lyne

Previously reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

FOREVERLAND

FOREVERLAND