Purge is the debut play from Finish author Sofi Oksanen, and is adapted from her third critically acclaimed novel. Encompassing the political conflict in Estonia over 40 years it tells the story of two women, Aliida and Zara, both of whom have been affected by the repercussions over their generations.
Despite being originally conceived as a play, the production does not live up to the reception of the novel. The main downfall in the adaption is how the narrative is constructed and executed for the stage, which fails to unite the worlds of Aliide and Zara. The narrative, which is divided over two time lines, no longer has dual authorship. Instead flashbacks from Aliide’s viewpoint is the main device employed. Aliide witnesses her own history, not as an outsider but interacts with her former self. I cannot help but question this, as it seemingly neither challenges or contributes to the flashbacks which are sufficient in capturing the audience. The transitions into the flashback seem overly dramatic and clumsy. They are triggered by contrived dialogue, signalled by an ominous sound that seems out of place, while Zara exits the stage leaving the present Aliide to watch. The whole scenario detracted from the scene, and brought a sense of focus on Aliide alone, by physically isolating Zara from memories that will come to shape her existence.
The channeling of Aliide is present in the stage design which solely manifests the the house of Aliide. A dissected rural dwelling consumes the stage. The audience is overshadowed with branches hung from the lighting rig. The space is Aliide’s home in Estonia. In one respect it succeeds in creating claustrophobia. It compliments the shifting time lines; the house that never changes, or ages as Aliide does, perfectly captures how she is haunted in a living memory. But its success is also its weakness. The only scene which provides insight into Zara’s history, is forced to play on the very outskirts of this physical environment, defined by the addition of a stool and television. The scenes very isolation in the playing space exemplifies its own isolation from the narrative.
Purge as a piece of new writing seems lost in a very old world of theatre. More than this there is a constant feeling that something is missing, as important information planted in dialogue is easily missed, and compelling scenes from the novel are omitted altogether. It fails to reach the potential and scope of the novel. The consequence is a production which feels as much in the past as the characters.
