Feminist Theatre from a Thatcherite Age

The performance of Top Girls at Trafalgar Studios was a great rendition of Caryl Churchill’s arguably best play. Written in 1982 during the peak of the Thatcherite era, Top Girls represents an outspoken critique against the bourgeoisie feminism that defined the age. The neoliberal policies espoused by the Prime Minister are doused with sarcastic and witty commentaries that portray her absurd and misguided philosophies.

            It is within this context that the first act takes place, as a deeply satirical and fantastic scene. The play opens on a plain stage, with a white-cloth dining table dominating the center. The layout of the seating in Trafalgar Studios, because of its vertically designed amphitheatre that allows the audience to feel intimately connected with the stage, is a perfect setting for the scene. It begins with a well-dressed waitress who serves and seats a collection of historical, female figures. The main character Marlene, played by Suranne Jones, is an ambitious career woman who happens to be celebrating her recent promotion in this dreamlike setting. She is joined by a female pope, a Victorian-age traveler, a concubine of a Japenese Emperor, a Viking peasant, and a princess from the Canterbury Tales. As the scene unfolds it becomes clear that each of these female figures has had to make serious sacrifices in the way of their family lives. Ranging from the Canterbury Tales princess who remained loyal and dedicated to her husband despite the fact that he claimed to kill her children, to the female pope who willingly forsake her own personal life in the name of the Church, all of these characters seem to portray the negative consequences of sacrificing one’s personal life for one’s career. Additionally, the dialogue itself seems to reflect the characters’ self-centered personality as each tries to out-do each other with their individual stories, and interrupt each other in the process. The entire scene gives the impression of a cast filled with impressive stories. However, with no one listening to each other, or demonstrating concern about the lack of family life so clearly evident in their lives, the viewer is left to reflect upon the impossibility of women rectifying their careers within a healthy family.

            

On this topic the next two acts of the play unfold. Neither of which carry the weight of the first act, but which continue the plot in a non-linear fashion. It becomes clear that Marlene has escaped from poverty by pursuing a career in an employment agency, but at the cost of abandoning her child Angie, played by Olivia Poulet. Angie represents a hopeful, yet dim-witted lost cause who appears destined to suffer a life of loneliness. In this sense, the play asks the audience to reflect upon the consequences of pure individualist philosophy and to understand the negative effects it has on society. The play presents a persuasive argument against the model of feminism that existed during the Thatcher era, and seems to support a more nuanced view of what female freedom should entail. Churchill suggests that instead of females sacrificing their lives for careers in the name of feminism, that they should be more concerned with their role in society at large, and in this respect Top Girls represents an important work of social commentary. 

In-Yer-Face at the Arcola

Do you think all plays are pretentious? Maybe you think they are not radical enough? If so, Phaedra’s Love at the Arcola is the performance for you! A remake of Sarah Kanes original black comedy, which premiered in 1996, this play represents a perfect example of what is known as ”in-yer-face” theatre.

            Highly controversial and extremely disturbing, Phaedra’s Love will force you to re-evaluate your pre-conceptions regarding the limits of theatrical morality. You will witness scenes of incest, oral sex, masturbation, and disembowelment all of which fit into the historical context of in-yer face theatre. This style of theatre is meant to grab hold of the audience’s attention, and reflects the growing resentment towards conservative norms that dominated the era of Sarah Kane.

            In this sense the Arcola theatre serves as the perfect venue, seemingly resembling an underground dungeon fit for a rave rather than a theatrical performance. With the dark lighting and ominous background screen, the stage elicits a creepy, menacing effect that perfectly suits the themes of the play.

          

  Nicolas’s Shaw’s performance as Hippolytus seems to truly channel the character’s jaded and cynical sense of being. As Phaedra, Joanna Roth manages to capture the hysterical nature of her romantic affair with her stepson. Additionally, Rupert Evans puts on a masterful display of acting talent by playing the roles of Phaedra’s husband, King Theseus; along with her hired psychologist and later in the play, a brief scene as a priest.

            The opening scene of the play sets the mood for the rest of the performance, as Hippolytus lazily eats McDonalds while watching television and then proceeds to masturbate on stage. In this respect, the performance immediately seems to truly capture the essence of “In-yer-face theatre” as the audience must witness an uncomfortable, yet comical introduction to what Sarah Kane declared to be her only comedy. Several other highly shocking and disturbing, scenes stand out in the performance, including multiple oral-sex performances between mother and son, and priest and Hippolytus.

            Towards the end of the performance, during the final scene in which Theseus unknowingly kills his own daughter, and then cuts out the heart and testicles of his son, the stairs leading up to the balcony level collapsed. What was truly interesting about this random occurrence was that the effect it created seemed to match the overall mood of the performance. As I became shocked and worried for the stagehand, which fortunately remained unharmed, the actors professionally continued without missing a beat. Afterwards I could not but reflect upon whether or not the stage had been designed to collapse, as the unnerving situation was both disturbing and slightly comical.

            For these reasons I highly recommend witnessing Phaedra’s Love at the Arcola Theatre. Unique, dark, and cynical: it will truly force you to reflect upon “in-yer-face” theatre and the nature of theatrical performances as progressive and radical social commentaries.