Off to the Arcola Theatre we go for a new take on Simon Stephens’ 2015 play Heisenberg.
Alex (Jenny Galloway) is sitting minding her business in Paddington Station when suddenly a woman comes up to her and plants a kiss on the back of her neck. Slightly non-plussed by this, as you would be, Alex glares at the woman in a very British way. Georgie (Faline England), for that is her name, introduces herself and sort of apologises for her action. The two of them strike up a conversation, with Georgie doing most of the talking. Days later, Georgie turns up at Alex’s butcher’s shop. The shop is empty and so the two women talk some more with Georgie, slowly breaking down Alex’s resolve, turning her taciturn answers into a true conversation and leading her down a path where, despite the major differences in their age, a spark of a relationship is developing.
I’m going to be honest from the start and say that as a piece of writing, Heisenberg did not work for me on any level. I didn’t like the character of Georgie from the start and found myself getting annoyed with Alex as the play progressed. Whilst the idea of Georgie planning a kiss on Alex’s neck as the opening gambit might seem OK at first. I’m not sure how well it plays out in our current climate. How would it have been if, instead of changing Alex’s gender to female from the original, they had made Georgie to be George? A man making unwanted sexual advances on a railway station! Also being a man of a certain age, I am very used to younger, attractive people coming on to me – normally in search of a ‘Daddy’ – and have built up an armour to stop myself from doing anything daft, But Alex just seemed very naïve in the way she responded to Georgie – despite all the lies and half-truths the younger woman spouted. Indeed, it got to the point that by the end I wouldn’t have trusted Georgie to tell me the time of day.
Jenny Galloway and Faline England are two very talented actors, and both displayed some fine talent as Alex and Georgie, respectively. England’s portrayal of Georgie really put me in mind of the Shirley MacLaine performance as Charity Hope Valentine in the film Sweet Charity. Wide-eyed with a big smile and an at times simplistic view of life, Georgie is wild and impulsive with a free spirit that lets her get away with being outrageous, or is she? Alex is a very different character, and Galloway brings out her quietness and strength of character well.
With scenery consisting of two chairs that move around to depict different locales, Director Katharine Farmer has a surprising amount of space to work with in the Studio and uses it well, although Alex does seem to walk aimlessly around at times, which I found off-putting. Rajiv Pattani’s lighting is very effective at creating atmosphere, and I really liked the way the lighting simulated trains going in and out of Paddington Station. Though I did wonder why there seemed to be a random rope of light on the station wall.
Overall, Heisenberg just didn’t work for me. I disliked the characters and the narrative and, possibly because of this, didn’t really feel any chemistry between the actors. It’s a shame as both actors are good, but I’m afraid that I’m not sure that changing the gender of one character can be described as a radical re-imagining, but it does bring a new perspective to the original text. Unfortunately, whatever perspective I take, this is not a play for me, I’m afraid.
Review by Terry Eastham
In bustling St Pancras railway station, Georgie, a young free spirit, impulsively plants a kiss on the neck of Alex, a reserved 70-year-old woman sitting on a bench. When Georgie unexpectedly reappears at Alex’s shop, Alex is drawn into Georgie’s unpredictable world, and her once quiet, orderly existence bursts into chaos and newfound vibrancy.
Cast: Jenny Galloway and Faline England
Director – Katharine Farmer
Writer – Simon Stephens
HEISENBERG
Arcola Theatre
9 April to 10 May 2025
