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Love
Birmingham Rep Studio
***** ALEXANDER
Zeldin’s previous work includes the phenomenal
Beyond Caring,
which looked at zero hours contracts and the people that worked for a
cleaning agency which deployed them. In
Love, Zeldin,
an associate director at the Rep, takes similar themes of social
injustice and looks at the lives of those bordering on the poverty line,
showing us the various inhabitants in a temporary accommodation flat
over the weeks of Christmas. To describe the plot so simply is to defy the
brilliance of Zeldin’s message. Love goes beyond a simple plot and looks
at what people do on a day-to-day basis. Although seemingly mundane, we can actively see
the daily struggle of others. Zeldin has a talent for revealing
something very real, that we know is happening right now. Love is about
the forgotten and the humblest of people. With a reality all too close
to home for some and a shocking insight for others, Zeldin has a unique
and striking way of speaking up for those who need to be heard. In aparallel to Ken
Loach’s acclaimed film I, Daniel Blake,
Zeldin injects a vivid reality that tells us that anyone can be in the
same situation. The audience sit practically on the stage, which
instantly pulls us into the story. With an immersive style and all too
truthful performances, it is not hard for an audience member to be
immensely moved by this striking performance. Within the flat, we see two families. In one
room, we see Colin and Barbara, who are mother and son. Barbara, played
by Anna Calder-Marshall is sick and Colin cares for her full-time. Calder-Marshall gives a weight to the frail la Holder gives a poignant performance that is
completely truthful and at times heart-breaking to watch. Through Colin
and Barbara’s story, we see a complete social and political injustice
towards the most vulnerable. Anna Calder Marshall as Barbara and Darcey Brown as Paige. Pictures: Sarah Lee In the second room, we see a young family.
Talented Janet Etuk plays heavily pregnant Emma who lives with Dean,
played by Luke Clarke. Clarke plays the desperate father with the sense
of having the weight of the world on his shoulders. Along with children
Paige and Jason, the family found themselves in the flat after being
evicted due to an overnight rent increase. The flat also houses Tharwa, from Sudan and Andan
from Syria. All must share the tiny bathroom and communal kitchen and of
course, because of this, the space is prone to conflict. No privacy can
be had in the small and intimate space, and the audience are exposed to
every small detail spanning over the winter period. The strangers are forced to live together through
the fault of circumstance and each inhabitant’s story is a world away
from their neighbour. Although they are distinct, there still seems to
be the underlying sense of unity in everyone’s desperate desire to get
out of their current living situation. The set designed intricately by Natasha Jenkins
is innovative and striking with the sheer essence of poverty instantly
reflected. All the action takes place within the communal kitchen and
occasionally, when their doors open, we can glimpse the small rooms they
live in. The whitewashed walls and broken tiles of the
ceiling show that there is no capacity for homely touches when
day-to-day survival is the only priority. With the addition of stark
white fluorescent lighting, the strikingly real picture of all who live
this reality is finally given a platform. Zeldin is a visionary of what is current and
important. With a poignant subject and a striking truthfulness, we are
reminded that people are living in these situations at this very moment.
The simplicity of making breakfast or talking over the phone is what
makes this piece a great reflection of reality. When a social injustice
is spoken about on a way that does not preach, but only observes, a new
genre of theatre is born. To 11-02-17 Elizabeth Halpin 30-01-17 |
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Nick Holder plays Colin who, in spite of his continuing love and sheer
sacrifice to take care of his mother, still finds a breaking point from
living in such close proximity to his mother and other strangers.