THE SWORD OF ALEX by Rib Davis
White Bear Theatre until 6th October 2018
‘Potentially hard-hitting play that sometimes gets lost in its own convolutions. ’ ★★★
Films and television programmes are often preceded by content warnings so viewers can make up their minds about whether they watch or not or to simply prepare themselves emotionally and mentally. We can never know the experiences of every audience member so forewarned is forearmed and the audience member or viewer can make up their own mind whether that particular show is for them. Many theatres also offer this warning without giving away spoilers or ruining the show and this reviewer believes that companies have a responsibility to offer a simple content warning to audience members when the play contains an act of visceral violence- in this case by a male character against a female character. Being fringe theatre this act happens less than a couple of metres from the audience. When it comes, the shocked screams and gasps are real and this colours the enjoyment of the rest of the play. The play could have retained the violent act (terrible things do, of course, happen) but there are ways of managing this on stage to minimise audience upset. It’s the unknown that shocks as much as the act itself.
The play is actually a clever fable about patriotism, loyalty and ultimately the bull-headedness of leaders who wholly believe themselves to be right even when it comes at the true expense of their country’s freedom. Sound familiar? Intellectual Karl (DK Ugonna) is leader of land-locked Nikal while Antonio (Patrick Regis) is the shiny-suited charismatic politician who wants to keep his great nation whole. Over the course of one evening- which is interspersed with snapshots of both men’s home-lives- they present their cases. Each is willing to sacrifice their security and their loved ones in order to achieve their dreams and we realise that this is less about politics and more about two men desperate to retain control.
Karl turns out to be a controlling boor in the home too but his seemingly submissive wife Gina (Georgia Winters) is staging her own home-based coup. Meanwhile Antonio is trying to rekindle his relationships with mistress Calantha (Kate Terence) who sees beneath the charm to the monster within.
As you’d expect from veteran writer and author Rib Davis the dialogue is sharp and elliptical enough to have the audience leaning in. But as we return again and again to the two leaders and their circular discussions I began to yearn for some more action- at no point do we hear from the inhabitants of Nikal; what would happen if the two women met? Gina’s family are mentioned but what if they tried to ‘rescue’ Gina and her baby? What if an outsider took advantage of the instability to tear apart the two countries? What if the two men so diametrically opposed had to work together? When the dialogue stopped serving the play the violent acts took over.
As Antonio Patrick Regis is utterly compelling. He fills the stage with brooding intensity, his focus never wavers. His exchanges with Calantha work well and Kate Terence is also extremely watchable. She is outstanding in the two short scenes that bookend the play. I also enjoyed Georgia Winters’ ‘worm that turned’ scene (despite still reeling from the violence preceding it) and there is huge potential of this up and coming actor.
This is a potentially hard-hitting play with a piercing commentary on current world-politics that sometimes gets lost in its own convolutions.
THE SWORD OF ALEX by Rib Davis
Directed by Brian Wooland
Presented by Beyond the Pale Theatre Company with the White Bear Theatre
White Bear Theatre 18 September - 6 October 2018
Box Office https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/
Siân Rowland is a playwright and comedy writer represented by Kitson Press.