Ovalhouse – 11 – 21 October. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Angela Clerkin’s The Secret Keeper is an adult fairy tale with a thoroughly modern moral.
The Doll House Maker and his wife have been increasingly unhappy since his brother’s murder 9 years earlier. Trying to help, The Good Daughter offers to hear his secret and not tell anyone. Once he has unburdened himself, The Doll House Maker feels free and happy, leaving his daughter to carry the secret as a magpie. He encourages everyone he meets to give their secrets to The Good Daughter, and eager to please (and enjoying being special), she soon carries the secrets of the townsfolk. The Doll House Maker’s initial goodwill in offering the service as a gift soon disappears as he and his wife realise the possible financial rewards, and they fail to notice the impact that keeping the secrets is having on their child.
The secrets range from trivial nonsense to matters of national security, and there’s the ultimate secret confession of her uncle’s murderer (told with such inane detail, denial and blame shifting by the perpetrator that you want to slap them). The play leaves the audience to interpret its message however they choose, but the consensus in the bar was the dangers of social media anonymity and rumour spreading, and the belief that making a glib confession gives everyone a clean slate, with no consequences, lessons learned, or changes made. The pressures on people to keep horrible secrets for fear of repercussions, professionally or privately, was also a hot topic, especially with this week’s news from Hollywood. The only use of name is for a victim of abuse, all other characters are known by generic roles in the town – another uncomfortable echo of reality.
The use of magpies, both models and the grotesquely costumed cast, was inspired, as it gave the secrets life and allowed them to debate the pros and cons of being shared or hidden. The simple set adds to the traditional storytelling vibe of the play, and the scene titles announcements need to be seen to be believed – a wonderfully macabre touch.
An adult (Angela Clerkin) playing The Good Daughter is a very wise move, as a child on stage would have been much too uncomfortable. Clerkin excels giving naïve descriptions of the town and its inhabitants, and her innocently delivered dialogue is full of uncomfortable truths that only children would say out loud. Niall Ashdown, Anne Odeke and Hazel Maycock play multiple roles as the townsfolk, with Odeke wonderfully shifty as The Doll House Makers Wife and Maycock a hoot as The King’s Righthand Man. Ashdown is full of comic touches until his musical number “I’m disappointed in you” when he really lets rip revealing his character’s pain, anger and shame. The musical numbers don’t really add anything to the narrative (and aren’t exactly Gershwin) but they feel right at home with this style of storytelling and performance, creating lots of smiles and laughter. Clerkin’s script ensures that there is a lot of squirming in seats mixed in with the laughter, as the audience realises exactly what they’re laughing at, and the final scene will haunt you.
The Secret Keeper is an entertaining and compelling exploration of truth and confession told in a gloriously glib and grotesque style that is well worth a look. Catch it at the Ovalhouse or on tour soon.