Soho Theatre, London – until 22 April 2023
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
Sap has ancient Greek mythology running through it right from the roots, to the tips of the leaves. Inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Sap tells the story of Daphne (though she is never named out loud in the play), a bisexual woman in her thirties navigating life, which includes a job at a women’s aid charity.
The play starts with a work event that a colleague asks her to attend. The kind of charity lunch where you’re sent to schmooze rich people to encourage donations toward your work. Daphne meets a man, an ordinary man, and after some flirting across the table they go their separate ways. But inevitably, and with some help from outside, they meet again and one thing leads to another. Until this point, Rafaella Marcus’ writing is upbeat and jovial, and then suddenly there is glimmer of what is to come.
Daphne then meets a woman at a lesbian bar, and she is everything – “a wonder woman”. However, she doesn’t date bisexual women, and when asked, Daphne decides to keep her true sexuality a secret. This secret soon starts to envelope her, and she begins to transform with roots digging into the ground, and bark enclosing her skin. An act of self preservation as a connection between the woman and the man becomes apparent, and he becomes ruthless and more menacing in his pursuit of her.
Jessica Clark is playful and frantic as Daphne, changing emotion and pace at the drop of a hat. The words flow like a poem, full of hope and heartache. Rebecca Banatvala is all the other characters in the piece, showing her considerable range and masterfully swapping roles so you are never confused about who is present. There are moments where you want to shout TELL THE TRUTH because the torment and the anguish becomes too much to bear.
Under direction from Jessica Lazar, the characters use every inch of the simple reflective stage, movement and words intertwining. The description of Daphne’s transformation into a tree is so visceral that it feels as if your fingers and toes are about to explode with branches and leaves. Towards the end, there are sobering statistics about the abuse that bisexual women face at the hands of their partners. This is a original and powerful play that weaves myth with reality, and lingers far beyond the walls of the theatre.