Sophie Treadwell’s 1928 Broadway hit resurfaces here in Edinburgh to discuss the plight of a woman subjected to the pressures and expectations of a male dominated world. A young woman, encouraged by her benefactor-seeking mother, is forced into a loveless marriage that culminates in murder, after an affair inspires her to seek freedom. The objectification of women can be seen here on every level, as men are able to purchase beautiful women and mothers sell daughters for future financial security. However, this play goes further than describing the insidious overtures of capitalism; it questions the idea of a socially constructed morality that starves and suffocates naturally born instincts and passions through the application of the law.
The multi-talented Italia Conti Ensemble has produced an intriguing rendition, suffused with music, singing, and drama that imaginatively transforms a bland theatre space into downtown New York. Chris White’s whimsical direction makes the most of the cast’s ubiquitous talents, ensuring solid and engaging performances throughout. Special mention should go to the lead girls, Jordan Baker, Sophie Bond, and Catherine Lamb who all put in sterling performances as Helen, the subservient wife. The one problem with having multiple actors sharing a role is that each girl, unsurprisingly, wants to showcase all of her talents, and therefore there didn’t seem to be much of an emotional journey from the beginning to the end. Some of the smaller roles were performed as caricatures rather than fully fledged and rounded characters, causing this production to swing intermittently from the realism of Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile to the stylised stereotypes of Bugsy Malone. This is also part of the appeal, however, as you are invited unapologetically into the subjective world of expressionist theatre.
