Jermyn Street Theatre – until 3 March. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Maureen Duffy’s double-bill explores pivotal moments in the lives of two inspirational women, separated by centuries.
In A Nightingale in Bloomsbury Square, Virginia Woolf has written letters to her sister and husband before she ends her life. Her decision made, Virginia (Sarah Crowden) talks directly to the audience, recalling fragmentary memories and attempting to understand her life and failed relationships, wondering what Freud would make of her situation. Duffy’s Virginia re-imagines her youth with her family as a Greek tragedy and a nursery rhyme. Her love for her sister Vanessa shines through as she attributes their deeply opposing attitudes to sex and physical passion to childhood abuse. Verity Johnson’s set, with shelves crammed with books and mementos, is utilised imaginatively, especially as she pushes books to the ground to represent the deaths of her family. This image continues as Virginia talks about her books as her children, describing their births with tenderness and pride. Duffy’s language is lyrical and stimulating, but unfortunately Sarah Crowden’s occasionally faltering grasp of her lines, especially when trying to remember whether she was talking about Virginia, Vanessa and Vita broke the rhythm and momentum of the piece. This was only the second night of a very short run, so there won’t be much opportunity for her to settle into the roles, which is a pity, as the passages when Crowden hit her stride showed the great potential of the play. Director Natasha Rickman keeps Crowden moving around the stage, and Crowden excels working with the minimal props in Virginia’s lighter moments.
The second play, The Choice, tells the story of Saint Hilda of Whitby in 664. When the king chooses Roman Christianity over Celtic Christianity, Hilda must decide whether to stay in Whitby and continue her work or leave for Iona. Hilda’s unshakeable faith and devotion are clear as she asks God for a sign. Even though Hilda is baring her soul, this play feels less personal and exposing than the first, as Hilda is addressing God, not the audience, and the set and direction is much more static. Crowden copes better remembering the lines for this shorter play, bringing blunt humour to this no-nonsense character.
The two plays make an intriguing double-bill, with Duffy creating two extraordinary women seeking answers for reasons that are polar opposites. With more rehearsal time and more polished direction in the second act, these women could have the production they deserve.