Image credit: Ross Kernahan
★★★
Art – in any form – is supposed to make a statement about our world.
I’ve always found that to be a lofty point made by people with nothing to say. But as I’ve gotten older and consumed more and more of it, I’ve understood what that statement means to express an idea that a group can share. I’ve felt this, or I know what that is. Or even as simple as I’m enjoying this.
There’s nothing closer to a shared communal experience than the theatre. You could laugh together, you could cry together. And when it’s new work, that potential is double the risk, double the reward.
That was my feeling going into Silent Houses, a new play by Kitchen Revolt Productions and award-winning writer Tommy Sissons. And, despite some teething problems, for the most part, this is an entertaining take on some very contemporary and relevant subject matter. As an audience, we laughed together and we (very nearly) cried together.
Silent Houses follows young couple Cecily (Aoife Scott) and Ralph (Tobi Ejirele) who frantically try to navigate the cost of living in increasingly cheaper accommodations while trying to start a family. But the birth of their child unveils shocking revelations from Cecily’s past, throwing their whole relationship into question.
As you can see, plot-wise we’re in familiar territory for this kind of social realist drama, which brings to mind the likes of Shelagh Delaney’s Taste of Honey. Yet the actual tone of the piece feels more like three separate plays merged into one. Initially, it’s a sweet relationship drama, about love despite an increasingly dire situation. It then morphs into a whacky sex comedy thanks to the emergence of Nicholas Clarke’s PC Albert, without giving away any spoilers. Finally, the play’s intent is spelled out through a third act which feels like an angry politically charged drama about the country’s economic state. Do they meld together seamlessly? Not always. There’s a tonal dissonance between the three elements which sometimes undermines the investment into the situation. But that doesn’t undermine the investment in the characters.
The credit for that goes to the actors who embody and often elevate any familiar subject matter. Ejirele carries the weight of the world on his shoulders with his physical moves through space. He’s got an optimistic and loveable sense of humour hiding a sense of pain about the character’s criminal charge he just can’t seem to shake. Scott’s Cecily dreams of becoming a dancer, and her ambition in the face of the reality of her situation makes her relatable and utterly sympathetic. Even when she acts in morally objectionable ways, we understand her drive. Scott makes this work by selling us entirely on the character’s psychological motivation. Clarke rounds out the cast with his expert comedic timing which sometimes (at no fault of the actor) grinds against the subject matter but provides needed levity into the drama.
Director Lilly Driscoll puts her staging on a tightrope between minimalism and expressionism. This is a fringe space, which works in the setting’s favour of being small and intimate. The basics of the flat – a table, a few boxes and, crucially, a broken boiler in the corner of the stage – give us enough information to transpose ourselves into the space. But in moments where the characters dream or express their ambitions out loud, the stage is lit by wonderfully warm blues and pinks with stirring melodic soundscapes, which fill us with the same hope and optimism as the characters. They provide tender moments which make the dramatic even more impactful.
This balance between comedy and drama resides throughout, which ultimately underscores Sissons’ point with the piece. Sometimes good things don’t offset the bad but, vice versa, the bad things don’t take away from the good. In the pursuit of a better life, which is increasingly challenging given the way the world is at the moment, it’s important to not lose sight of what keeps you ‘good’. Millions suffer in silence due to social, economic and historical contexts which is where this play derives its title. And, while it may hammer that point home a little too hard by the end, it doesn’t take away from what it’s trying to land. Because that’s an important idea to share.
Silent Houses was on at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in Kentish Town from 11th to 15th June 2024.
Words by Ed Foster
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