THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US to 26 May

London

THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US - THE VICTORIA CLIMBIE ENQUIRY
edited by Lance Nielsen

Hackney Empire Bullion Rooms to 26 May
Tue - Sat 8pm

2h 40mins. One interval.

TICKETS 020 8985 2424
Review Danny Braverman 16 May

A challenging re-enactment that raises important questions about the state of the state.
This near-verbatim re-enactment of the Victoria Climbie enquiry is an unusual theatre experience. For the most part, the play is made up of the actual words of the participants in the enquiry, condensed and edited to fit into a three-hour time slot, with the audience in the uncomfortable role of spectators in the gallery.

The adversarial relationship between barrister and witness at an enquiry makes for a compelling experience. And there is an intensity to this genre that makes demands on an audience to come to grips with the complexities of a case such as that of the murder of Victoria Climbie.

This is not, however, chiefly the story of Victoria and her murderers. The enquiry focuses on the failures of the system to identify and deal with this case of horrific abuse. Who should take the blame - the social workers, police, medics, politicians? At what tier of the hierarchy should responsibility be shouldered? Is there really systematic incompetence within our public services or was this case just a tragic one-off? So, the play ends up raising more questions than it answers, which is to its credit.

However, although the central idea of this production is powerful and obviously driven by artists with a passion, more work and thought is needed. The 'ghost' of Victoria appears sporadically and there are two short fictional interpolated scenes. These are unnecessary detractions from the integrity of the documentary format.

The standard of acting is uneven. Jonathan Hansler carries the show excellently as the lead inquisitor Neil Garnham QC, thoroughly believable when his anger explodes through his professional mask. Many of the witnesses, notably Nicola Bertram as Mary Richardson and Dionne Neish as Angella Mairs, manage to convey the subtextual emotional tangles of flawed people thrown into this lion's den. But other performances are less believable, the actors relying on external character tick. The suspension of disbelief, so painstakingly set up by more credible performances, is fractured.

However, the overall effect of this piece is to probe deeply into this important issue, in a way that the broadcast media or a fictional account would be unable to do. And for this Lance Neilsen and his team should be applauded.

Lord Laming: Paul Cowdell
Neil Garnham QC: Jonathan Hansler
Ms Lawson QC/Dr Ruby Schwartz: Maggie Robson
Mr Mason/Interpreter: Rick Alancroft
Neil Sheldon QC: Alex Heaton
Dawn Cardis /Miss McGowan: Elizabeth Uter
Dr Mary Rossiter/Mary Richardson: Nicola Bertram
WPC Karen Jones: Jaqueline Hal
Angella Mairs: Dionne Neish
Carol Baptiste: Claudia Lockhart
Lisa Arthurworrey: Eki Naria
Pamela Fortune: Jennifer Cor-ley
Branton Bamford/Reporter:Patrick Thornton
Edward Armstrong/Francis Climbie: Valentine Rwegasira
Victoria Climbie: Chloe Ketter-Thomas
Sarah Stollard: Lindsey Cutter
Marie-Therese Kouao: Chrysale de Saint Georges
Ms Jane Hoyle: Noelle Rimmington

DirectorProducer: Lance Neilsen
Co-Producer: Louise Harris
Lighting: Inaki Allorbe
Assistant Director: Madeline Vose
Chief Make-up artist: Christine Nicklin

2002-05-21 15:05:59