Side Splitting Laugh's with "Phaedra's Love" by Brice Milano

My first clue that Dr. Q wasn’t lying about Phaedra’s Love, being fringe theatre was the fact that it took three tries to find a cab driver who knew where the Arcola Theatre was located. After the third cabbie dropped us off we entered the extremely intimate theatre. Although I didn’t entirely get Saraha Kane’s Phaedra’s Love (which she described as “her comedy”), I did enjoy the smaller, more focused production in comparison to some of the other higher budget productions.  

           The setup at the Arcola Theatre was like nothing I had ever seen before. The seats all were temporary and located extremely close to the performers. Also, the lower level seats were on the same level as the stage, so the actors were unbelievably close to their audience. The main character was also on stage as the audience found their seats, it felt as if the play began before it started, as if the experience began as soon as we entered the room. Throughout the play, the actors used the limited space very well, taking advantage of every angle and perspective possible. There was also a second level platform that was used for more intimate dialogues. (The second story staircase tumbled down during the middle of the show, reminding us of the low budget nature of the production.) Although the space in which Phaedra’s Love was both unique and beneficial to the overall experience, the audience soon forgot about everything but the offensive nature of the play.

While I understand the point of “In Your Face” theatre, at what point does making a statement lose it’s roots and turn to pure shock value. While I generally did enjoy Phaedra’s Love, I thought it crossed the line, not so much because I was offended, but because it was demeaning to itself. What artistic or social relevance is there to an angry mob barbecuing the main character’s genitalia? No character in this play is likable. If the audience does relate to the characters (doubtful), those feelings probably come from such a dark place, that it is unlikely they would admit to themselves that they have anything in common. Realistically, based on the content of her plays I’m curious as to how no one close to Sarah Kane could have foreseen a potential suicide.

My personal opinion of the original Kane script aside, the production of Phaedra’s Love at the Arcola was executed very well. Nicholas Shaw, as Hippolytus was brilliant! The audience could see his character’s pain, and utter disregard for life itself. We often forget that the point of film or theatre is not necessarily make you feel happy. It exists to induce emotion, and either teach or educate the audience. The emotion may be disgust, happiness, sadness, fear, etc. A good play will induce the emotion it intends to induce. I guarantee anyone who sees Phaedra’s Love will leave the theatre with an extreme emotional response; they probably just won’t like the emotion.