Christopher Walker reviews The Confessions playing at the Lyttleton theatre
If you are going to Australia, don’t see this play.
It portrays a country that is hopelessly provincial, prejudiced and, well…rather boring.
As one character quips – “Australia? Get as far away from it as you can.”
Alexander Zeldin’s new play at the Southbank’s Lyttleton theatre chronicles his mother’s life and is inspired by conversations with her and her friends. I just hope a lot of it is made up.
We meet Alice as young girl living in a nightmare version of Dame Edna’s Moonie Ponds.
She is an underachieving, underappreciated drip (Eryn Jean Norvill pulls this off).
Having failed academically, Alice’s mother pushes her into an unhappy marriage with a ghastly bore (Joe Bannister).
His right wing views border on fascism, and he demands his own way, and sex at random.
At one point he nearly pushes Alice off the cliff. From here things gone downhill.
Alice hooks up with her poetry teacher (Jerry Killick), who is part of a free love liberal set of minor academics.
Poor Alice is lured to an artist’s studio by one of them, and brutally raped. Many in the audience were visibly distressed.
It’s a sad tale.
Thankfully we get some light relief from an excellent performance from Pamela Rabe as a variety of annoying Australian women.
An accomplished switch between four very different characters, in appropriately gaudy costumes.
She also gets many of the best lines. Including one which sums up the plays theme – “all men are murderers. They get hold of a woman and then murder her gradually.”
There is also a nice theatrical device, whereby contemporary Alice (presumably now nearly 80) appears in the flesh to view her past, and sometimes participate in it.
An accomplished switch between four very different characters, in appropriately gaudy costumes.
She also gets many of the best lines. Including one which sums up the plays theme – “all men are murderers. They get hold of a woman and then murder her gradually.”
There is also a nice theatrical device, whereby contemporary Alice (presumably now nearly 80) appears in the flesh to view her past, and sometimes participate in it.
Although this involves poor Amelda Brown stripping naked to do this, along with her rapist.
The direction is very slow. There are long pauses, in between the dreariness and the abuse, where nothing happens at all.
At least there’s something of a happy ending when Alice finds her true self and escapes to London.
Unlikely to be sponsored by the Australian Tourist Board.
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-confessions/
The Confessions playing at the Lyttleton theatre until 4th November 2023
Main Picture: Eryn Jean Norvill – Pictures by Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
