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★★½
Itchy Feet Theatre are at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith for the next week with ‘The Defamation’, which is a new piece of writing by the company’s Artistic Director Jen Tucker. Spearheaded by Tucker and Company Stage Manager Beth Scott, the queer-led theatre company ‘focuses on female and non-binary perspectives’, and has ‘a particular interest in women of the past’. Recently the company presented ‘The Nine Day Queen’ at Barons Court Theatre, which featured the Tudor figure Lady Jane Grey. Unfortunately I was unable to fit the show into my schedule, but I was adamant to make time for their run at Bitesize Festival this summer, when I found out that the company was part of the line-up.
About the play
Focusing on how women are treated in the legal system in the past and present, the play uses the setting of an afterlife court to compare the treatment of five of Shakespeare’s female characters and a fictional modern day celebrity who goes by the name of Charity. The present day figure is inspired by Amber Heard and Charity’s trial has links to the long-running defamation lawsuit between the real-life actress and her former husband Johnny Depp. Covering two completely contrasting time periods, Charity and the leading ladies bond over the injustices that have occurred as a result of men, as well as reflecting on their own actions. Over the course of 60 minutes of live theatre, the unlikely sisterhood welcomes Charity with open arms and aims to question what it means to be a woman under scrutiny in historical and present day society.
Shakespearean themes
The script being written in blank verse is one of many parallels between Jen Tucker’s play and Shakespeare’s work, with the poetic and lyrical dialogue being delivered with ease. It is refreshing to see Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), Hermoine (The Winter’s Tale), Desdemona (Othello), Hero (Much Ado About Nothing) and Ophelia (Hamlet) all on stage at the same time, but the material requires prior knowledge of each of Shakespeare’s plays to fully comprehend why all of these women have been brought together. Whilst I do enjoy Shakespeare’s work, in this group context there are limited references to each of the back stories and I found it difficult to keep up with all of these pre-existing characters. Outside of the universally known Lady Macbeth, the script could benefit from a little more background information to help set the scene for people who are less familiar with the characters. That being said, the distribution of a character sheet ahead of the performance makes this less of an issue and is a welcome commitment to making the play more accessible to audiences.
Character dynamics
There is something to be said about how much women support women within the play and this is too often looked over in the arts, in favour of conflicting female relationships. I enjoyed seeing how much Shakespeare’s heroines, particularly Hermione (Lizzie O’Reilly) with her gentle soul, are always on Charity’s side and totally accepting of her contribution to the events on trial. Although, with so many thoughtful and soft characters, there is a distinct lack of unique personalities on stage and I found myself wishing for the unpredictable Lady Macbeth to have a greater role in the play. In my opinion, the work needs more confrontation and high stakes emotion, to add depth and excitement to the overall script.
Cast performances
Giulia Duggan offers a scene-stealing performance as Lady Macbeth, excelling at portraying the wicked humour and devilish charm that the character is known for. Furthermore, Zoe Kirk is also engaging as Charity, really reflecting on her own contribution to the events which have led to her joining this crossroads of an afterlife, even though the Shakespearean sisterhood are there to bolster her reputation and support her.
Final thoughts
Celebrating the significance of sisterhood and women supporting women, there is plenty to like about this new play, but for me it lacks impact in its current form. The mistreatment of the women really only carries weight or significance towards the very end, when Zoe Kirk makes a magnificent, empowering speech as Charity.
I was longing for more explosive moments, where the characters grow and have a chance to share their voice. At the moment, the current iteration of the script feels somewhat uneventful, for a play with such bold aims in aspiring to address the treatment of women in the legal process. There are three more performances of the play at Riverside Studios Bitesize Festival: 20th July (1.15pm), 21st July (6.15pm) and 25th July 8.45pm, with tickets available via the venue’s website.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for The Defamation was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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