Blasted- Sarah Kane

Exiting the theatre after seeing Blasted, I was surprised to hear the reactions from my fellow classmates. For weeks, I had been preparing myself for a bit of “in-yer-face” theatre. Therefore, I was mildly surprised to hear how shocked and appalled many of my classmates were by the production. Personally, I felt prepared for the shocking themes that were presented by Sarah Kane—and in that regard, I thoroughly enjoyed the production.

For a play that has such few roles, I think that the casting was done very effectively. Whereas other productions like Hamlet featured prominent cast members such as Hamlet and Ophelia who both appeared somewhat out of place while on stage, all three cast members of Blasted fit the billing of their characters. First and foremost, the actress who plays Cate did a great job of portraying equal amounts of sanity and lunacy. While in some scenes she is shown to pragmatically discuss things with Ian, in other scenes she is portrayed as having a maddening laugh. I think that this display of double-sided self also allows the audience to view Ian as creepy, as if he taking advantage of Cate. Furthermore, the role of the soldier was very unforgettable for me. The solider does a great job of depicting the gruesome nature of war, and how it truly changes and shapes people’s actions.

Ultimately, I found the ending of the play slightly bewildering in light of Sarah Kane’s suicide. Despite everything that happens to Ian, including his own desire to just be dead, he continues his struggle against death. However, at the same time, it could reflect the burden that Sarah Kane clearly put upon herself leading up to her suicide. One thing about that play that I found particularly interesting is the manner in which the three characters share importance. I think that it would be hard to make a case for any of the three characters being any more important than the other. In the end, I have to say that I was very pleased with the production, despite its inclusion of barbarism, violent rape and gore. Whereas many people were offended and disturbed by the production, I left the theatre slightly refreshed at the bold and daring approach of Sarah Kane.

Alex Cohen