Jacksons Lane, London – until 4 December 2021
Reviewed by Debra Stottor
4****
“There’s a crack in the mountain…”
And it could be catastrophic for the workers on the chain gang, led by the inept rather than the knowledgeable. It’s also a metaphorical crack, a dysfunctional, fractured society struggling with regime change and the meaning of leadership.
Interruptions is a story that twists and weaves, flitting from one scenario to another, dealing with an election, followed by a military coup and its aftermath in a fictional communist country. The narrative isn’t linear, but one scene very much explains another, with rapid-fire changes of costume and a quick shift of the tables to mark the change of scene – along with some neatly choreographed dance routines, which also serve to lighten the mood. Propping is minimal – shifting tables, tablecloths, rope, basic utensils – but effectively used along with dramatic yet simple lighting and appropriate sound effects.
This may be a play about a communist country, but it’s not about communism per se, more about questions around leadership: Do we need to be led? How do we decide who leads? and what happens when there are no leaders? The message occasionally feels clunky, but it’s played with personality and passion by the young cast, some of whom are making their theatrical début.
This is the European début of Stephen Jeffreys’ play, first performed in California in 2001, adapted for a cast of six by director Guy Woolf. The six actors – Samarge Hamilton, Emily Pemberton, Aaron Douglas, Sarel Madziya, Nemide May and Loussin-Torah Pilikian – appear in each of the seven linked-but-separate scenes, mostly as completely different characters, so the demands on them are huge. Equally, demands are made of the audience to piece together this story of humanity learning to cope in a changing world.
As Woolf says: “For me, ultimately the play is about people just trying to get along together: they are doing their best to lead and be led while the turbulent events of the world unfurl and, yes, interrupt their lives. Sound familiar? After the last 18 months … this play is that much more timely, demonstrating the consistent relevance of the piece.”
represent. is a brand-new professional theatre company of people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, with a mission to open up the industry to those for whom it is currently inaccessible, and a redefinition of the repertory theatre model that provides a sustainable vehicle for both training and experimentation.
“There’s a crack in the mountain…” is a refrain that will be in your head all the way home.