LondonTheatre1

London Theatre: Tickets | Reviews | News | West End | UK Touring Productions

All Shows Booking Now
  • Home
  • Top Selling Shows
    • Musicals
    • Plays
      • A Christmas Carol
      • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
      • The Mousetrap
      • The Woman in Black
      • Witness for the Prosecution
    • Back To The Future
    • Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
    • Dirty Dancing
    • Frozen The Musical
    • Heathers
    • Jersey Boys
    • Les Misérables
    • Mamma Mia
    • Matilda the Musical
    • Moulin Rouge
    • Pretty Woman the Musical
    • The Book of Mormon
    • The Lion King
    • The Phantom of the Opera
    • Tina the Musical
    • Wicked
    • London Theatres
      • Seating Plans
      • Adelphi Theatre
      • Aldwych Theatre
      • Ambassadors Theatre
      • Apollo Theatre
      • Apollo Victoria Theatre
      • Cambridge Theatre
      • Criterion Theatre
      • Dominion Theatre
      • Duchess Theatre
      • Duke of York’s Theatre
      • Fortune Theatre
      • Garrick Theatre
      • Gielgud Theatre
      • Gillian Lynne Theatre
      • Harold Pinter Theatre
      • His Majesty’s Theatre
      • Lyceum Theatre
      • Lyric Theatre
      • New Wimbledon Theatre
      • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
      • Noel Coward Theatre
      • Novello Theatre
      • Old Vic Theatre
      • Palace Theatre
      • Palladium
      • Phoenix Theatre
      • Piccadilly Theatre
      • Playhouse Theatre
      • Prince Edward Theatre
      • Prince of Wales Theatre
      • Richmond Theatre
      • Savoy Theatre
      • Shaftesbury Theatre
      • Sondheim Theatre
      • St Martin’s Theatre
      • Trafalgar Theatre
      • Vaudeville Theatre
      • Victoria Palace Theatre
      • Wyndham’s Theatre
  • News
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • UK Shows
    • Alexandra Theatre
    • Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
    • Brighton Theatre Royal
    • Bristol Hippodrome
      • Bristol Theatre Seating Plan
    • Edinburgh Playhouse
    • Glasgow Theatre Royal
    • Grand Opera House York
    • Granville Theatre
    • King’s Theatre Glasgow
    • Kit Kat Club London
    • Leas Cliff Hall
    • Liverpool Empire
    • Manchester Opera House
    • Manchester Palace Theatre
    • Milton Keynes Theatre
    • New Theatre Oxford
    • New Victoria Theatre Woking
    • New Wimbledon Theatre
    • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
    • Princess Theatre Torquay
    • Regent Theatre Stoke
    • Rhoda McGaw Theatre
    • Richmond Theatre
    • Stockton Globe
    • Sunderland Empire
    • Swansea Arena
    • Victoria Hall Hanley Stoke
  • Newsletter
  • West End
  • Dancewear
Home » Reviews » Review of Tom Ratcliffe’s Gifted at the Pleasance Theatre

Review of Tom Ratcliffe’s Gifted at the Pleasance Theatre

May 16, 2018 Last updated: May 16, 2018 2:11 pm By Chris Omaweng

Jess (Jenna Fincken) Milly (Emily Stott) Jasper (James Bailey)
Jess (Jenna Fincken) Milly (Emily Stott) Jasper (James Bailey)

There appears to be no stopping the number of new plays (at the time of writing, at least) that explore themes around sexual violence and mistreatment of others, as yet more misdemeanours by public figures continue to come to light. Gifted takes a broader view than merely getting angry at injustice, whether merely perceived or actually proven, and nobody comes out entirely without spot or blemish in a nuanced and insightful play.

Performed in the round – or, more precisely, in the rectangle – about a dozen lights are positioned on the floor, some of which prove useful at various points in the performance as they are picked up and carried around. Responses and reactions to the lighting changes that occur, I suspect, broadly speaking, fall into two camps. One will suggest it adds to the show’s atmosphere, while the other will conclude that it is, to be blunt, infantile: in other words, it’s rather like gathering around a campfire and telling apparently scary stories whilst putting a torch under one’s face. As a millennial might put it, “Ooh, scary. Not.” Similar opposing views may also be held with regards to the sound design: microphones which hung from the ceiling were used sparingly. But why use them at all in a studio-sized performance space?

Jasper (James Bailey) is going out with Milly (Emily Stott). There’s a younger stepsister, Jess (Jenna Fincken) who has reasons for disliking Jasper. Layer by layer all becomes clear by the end of the show – why is it, for instance, that Jess becomes obsessed with attempting to get Milly to stitch Jasper up in such a way that he could be arrested and charged for a crime against the person? Milly is, quite naturally, resistant, and in Jess’ portrayal of Jasper as a controlling person, it is her own insistent and forceful nature that makes her out to be dictatorial instead of him.

As I understood it, where the criminal justice system has let Milly down is in the brevity of even the maximum sentence that could be handed down for what has become known as ‘revenge porn’ (the term itself is not, I hasten to add, used in the production – instead (spoiler alert) there’s a lengthy explanation about uploaded videos. Under legislation introduced in April 2015 the maximum sentence for the offence is two years in prison.

Read  Macready! Dickens’ Theatrical Friend at Jack Studio Theatre

Milly proceeds to make a very serious allegation, which, as it turns out, is untrue. As the play’s timeline doesn’t extend as far as Milly having her day in court, it is never determined how well her story stands up under cross-examination. In any event, the play focuses more on the silent victims, those who do not press charges following genuine incidents, for the various reasons the script discusses (and more besides).

It is never an easy decision to make when putting on a show of this nature whether the play’s critical incident should be dramatized, and if it is, to what extent. Possibly the best ‘passion play’ I have ever attended, for instance, was where the Crucifixion of Christ wasn’t staged at all, but a harrowing description is given instead. If the critical incident is to be shown, if there is too little, the production then stops short of depicting the sheer horror of the incident, and thus risks causing offence; if there is too much the show comes across as being exhibitionist and unnecessarily brutal. As far as this production is concerned, my personal view is that the rendering of the critical incident was well-judged, though I fully appreciate others may disagree.

Further, I don’t claim to understand all of the production’s features – why, for example, is there a sudden beep test (without the beeps) in the middle of a lengthy dialogue? A big ‘well done’ to the performers for continuing to say their lines despite running up and down the length of the stage space repeatedly. Nonetheless, I liked the character development in a show that doesn’t assert that Person X is totally good and wonderful, and Person Y is evil and always wrong. A rigorous and riveting production that pulls no punches when it comes to exploring some topical and contemporary issues.

4 stars

Review by Chris Omaweng

Someone has uploaded videos of Jasper and Milly’s sex life online. When Milly discovers this, she is persuaded to take an unexpected and dangerous course of action.

GIFTED confronts the injustices that repeatedly surround victims of sexual violence in the modern day. But when the justice system fails you, how right is it to take the law into your own hands?

Written by Tom Ratcliffe
Directed by Polina Kalinina

Gifted
15th May 2018 – 19th May 2018
Downstairs – Pleasance London
https://www.pleasance.co.uk/

Maybe of Interest?

  • Harness Zorbing for Two at London South
    Harness Zorbing for Two at London South
    £50.00
  • Scottish Ballet - Swan Lake at Theatre Royal Glasgow Scottish Ballet - Swan Lake at Theatre Royal Glasgow £15.00
  • Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham at Grand Opera House York Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham at Grand Opera House York £31.86
  • Building And Heritage Tour at Theatre Royal Glasgow Building And Heritage Tour at Theatre Royal Glasgow £10.00
  • Jason Fox - Life At The Limit at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Jason Fox - Life At The Limit at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre £33.52
  • Tom Allen: Completely at Swansea Arena Tom Allen: Completely at Swansea Arena £28.81
  • Hamilton at Bristol Hippodrome Hamilton Tickets Bristol Hippodrome Tickets From £35.00
  • The Serial Killer Next Door With Emma Kenny at Liverpool Empire The Serial Killer Next Door With Emma Kenny at Liverpool Empire £25.00
  • The Drifters Girl at King's Theatre, Glasgow The Drifters Girl at King's Theatre, Glasgow £13.00
  • Sister Act at New Theatre Oxford Sister Act at New Theatre Oxford Tickets From £30.50
  • The Music Of Zimmer Vs Williams at Swansea Arena The Music Of Zimmer Vs Williams at Swansea Arena £33.75
Copyright www.LondonTheatre1.com
By using our website you’re confirming that you’re happy to accept our use of cookies.
Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising - About Us - Newsletter - Contact Us