This is a very brave piece of theatre, written (from personal experience) and directed by Jennifer Elvy, which tells the story of Jessica, played by Jessica Bendellali.
The performance is presented as a monologue, as Jessica recounts the experiences that have shaped her life and affected her as a person. It can make for quite uncomfortable viewing, as these experiences include rape, sexual abuse and the death of her mother, although the way the piece is performed seems to detach any kind of emotion from the material.
Bendellali’s mode of address is very deliberate and devoid of feeling; there is no range to her vocal performance, which, for me, took the edge off the material. I’m aware of how difficult it must be to write such a personal piece of theatre without coming across as self-indulgent or self-pitying; it just seems that the performance goes the other way and avoids any kind of natural emotional reaction to the experiences it depicts.
There were people in the audience who found the play very effective, so maybe I was missing something; I felt guilty for not being more moved by it, especially when the author was sitting in the corner. I applaud Elvy’s courage at opening herself up with such honesty and lack of hysteria, although I found the piece too deliberately acted to be effective.
2/5
Becky Stone
