Omnibus Theatre, Clapham, London until 24th March
Review by Lisa Harlow
4****
An intriguing soup of elements is contained within this show. It describes itself as part theatre, part drag cabaret which ‘fuses storytelling, vaudeville, theatre, lip-synch and boylesque’.
On arrival, you find yourself as part of the audience at the drag cabaret. It’s from this stage, designed as a catwalk strip for striding with feathers and shiny sparkles, that all of the storytelling from Tehran, Derry and London takes place. An unusual set of bedfellows.
The narrative is primarily told by Orla (Siobhan O’Kelly). She makes clear that the trauma she has experienced in Tehran seems to have splintered away any sense of linear narrative in her mind of events. Snapshots of what took place became twisted and spewed out an altered sense of reality, like the twisted fairytale of Rapunzel story she relays within the performance.
Stark opposites are provided by the liberal lives that Orla, as a feminist artist, and her best friend Mark (Nathan Kiley), a drag cabaret artist) enjoy in London compared to the tightly controlled environment of Iran. Revelling in their plans to open their own performance space and sharing stories of sexual antics with their respective gay lovers comes to a censored halt whilst Orla adjusts to her new temporary home. Having opted to visit as part of an inter-cultural exchange, Orla expected to struggle within the environment of censorship yet, at no point, did she anticipate how deeply she would experience the Iranian brutal methods used to ensure submission to its controls.
O’Kelly is a convincing and captivating storyteller. Kiley is equally as beguiling in his role as Mark. He commands your attention throughout the performance (in all sorts of ways!) and his singing leaves all satiated with its alternating smooth depths and frothy fun. In spite of remaining in London, Mark himself experiences his own form of trauma and perverse manipulations, exposing the tarnish under his sparkles.
This is a story that is moving and powerful, told through unusual lenses, yet having the altogether familiar themes of love, forgiveness and perseverance of the soul woven throughout. There are no sugary corners here though. The fear that has been stirred against the power and ‘sorcery’ of women’s bodies and used for manipulation and control retriggers an angry flame in Orla. The lessons she takes away from this experience ensures she is determined to share the truth and not be complicit with the lie.