Esme Mai‘Person-in-Law’, produced by theatre company ‘Six Lips’covers the issues of Genetic sexual attraction; a difficult subject to take on, yet one that proved rewarding and interesting to explore. GSA is more common than we might think and Person-in-Law certainly established it to be an attention-grabbing and worthy subject matter.
The approach to such matter was consistent throughout the whole, meticulously designed piece. Set design portrayed a very clinical, clean look, a sofa wrapped in plastic, two white tables holding objects meticulously placed at right angles, the characters in crisp, harsh whites. The whole setup made me uneasy, an intended element along with this clinical air; an ambience created to evoke emotions within its viewers.
Actress; Anna Rogers voice penetrated the soft music, proclaiming itself as ‘the conscience’, she narrated the whole piece; she introduces the play, closes it and links everything in-between. Anna fits the role perfectly with discerning, judging eyes and a confident, proud stance. She’s dressed in a sharp, powerful suit that really compliments the role and aids her air of authority.
From there on we were introduced to a wealth of characters coping with different issues: a brother looking for a sister, a confused actress with a loving husband and a lawyer looking for a sperm donor.
The attention to detail throughout was a constant step towards the climatic close to an intense first half. The words: “I’m your brother” clung perilously around the auditorium.
Lawyer, Vanessa Bellamy (Beryl Nairn) adds a factual element to the narration and her emotional battle for a baby moved some audience members to tears.
The estranged siblings Clara (Victoria Delaney) and Ewan (Stuart Freestone) play out the relationship realistically enough for you to feel nervous for them in their situation. A cutting portrayal of Clara almost gives you empathy for what should be a wholly unlikeable character. Steven (Wayne Ewart) plays Clara’s husband and delivers a gripping monologue that grabs you and pulls you further into the real emotions of the piece.
All in all a clever and poignant script from Matt Harper (a name I would strongly recommend looking out for) created an evocative, intelligent piece of theatre. The collaboration between Harper and ‘Six Lips Theatre’ will hopefully have more in store for the future, as they complimented each other beautifully.
Their next show ‘The Government Inspector’ is just around the corner. See you there.
