Paul T Davies reviews Penelope Skiner's play Meek now playing at the Traverse Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Meek Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe
16 August 2018
4 Stars
Dystopian drama is a distinct and enduring genre, and Penelope Skinner's powerful new play, produced by Headlong, is a portrait of ruthless state control, especially of women. It's a shame that the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale casts a strong shadow as the themes are very similar. But Skinner uses precise revelations and clues to paint a suffocating world through fragile female friendship.
The trio of actors work extremely well together and they are a fine ensemble. Irene, excellent Shvorne Marks, is imprisoned for singing a blashemous song in public. Her dream is to be famous and share her music, but her trial goes against her, and she refuses to tell the lies of the State to save their international image. Lawyer Gudrun, Amanda Wright, fights to save her, but worldwide protests fail. Skinner reveals that this is also a tale of betrayal, and religious friend Anna, Scarlett Brookes, underlines patriarchy successfully dividing and ruling.
It's bleak but pertinent, beautifully directed by Amy Hodge, and the design takes us through the seasons with clarity. The country is un- named, but it may be a Scandinavian one known currently for tolerance. That whispers of a woman's place are becoming louder, means that this is a tale still needing to be told.
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Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
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