Review Ugly
A dystopian play by a local playwright takes to The Carriageworks' stage
Review: Ugly
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If you were to abandon Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World after the first few pages because of its apparently impenetrable jargon you would miss out on one of the greatest works of science fiction ever written. Similarly with A Clockwork Orange, 1984 and most other literary examples in the so-called ‘dystopia’ sub-genre. It is no surprise, then, that the first third of Emma Adams’ Ugly – a grimy and barbed depiction of the not-too-distant future – should leave you longing for clarification of the ground rules and for workable definitions of its frequent examples of newspeak. But, as with the aforementioned examples, it’s worth the struggle.
The latest offering from Red Ladder Theatre dumps us in an insidious wasteland, complimented with battered, industrial scenery and nightmarish, clockwork soundscapes. In this version of our future, human beings have been hierarchically categorized into Special, Half-Spec, Non-Spec, Zero-Spec and the much coveted position of Extra Super Special. An individual’s status is dependent on their status within this ravaged society, where the effects of global warming and civil war are ever-present.
We follow two principle characters, academic Ben (Extra Super Special) and soldier Woody (Special) on their journey into a Non-Spec ghetto. Herein, and after falling into temporary paralysis after taking a ‘Forget’ narcotic, they reconnect with Mrs Mason (Half-Spec), their disgraced former home economics teacher, who now works as a ‘food memories prostitute’, and her captive surrogate daughter Mert (Zero-Spec).
As the narrative progresses each of the characters uncovers their own personal shortcomings and frailties and the despicable reality of the society in which they live is revealed to them. A new quest emerges and Woody leads the charge to move into the Special Zone where, as the hardy soldier asserts, each of them has as much right to be as anyone else. It is at this moment where we perhaps feel a climax was needed merely to bring the story to a close and it has a rather ‘tagged-on’ feel. It is the claustrophobic interactions in Mrs Mason’s shabby hut where the real moments of dramatic tension and skilful character development lie.
Jo Mousley’s Mrs Mason is by turns funny and tragic; her portrayal of the blind ignorance to the barbarism outside her windows and the loss of her son is particularly notable. The central relationship between Rebecca Rogers’ Woody and Peter Hinton’s Ben is engaging throughout with hints of a true comedy double-act alongside a seething undercurrent of forbidden desire and lust. Sadly, we are left with rather too many questions about the true nature of their relationship; a story arc which, unfortunately, is dismantled as soon as it is erected.
It is Anna-Maria Nabirye who has the most demanding task, portraying a captive immigrant with a horrific past and doomed future. The gravity of the bleak aspects of Mert’s personal history do make the occasional moments of comedy difficult to accept, but Nabirye’s performance is both accomplished and compelling.
Rod Dixon has directed a strange and interesting play in Ugly. The messages surrounding segregation and self-allocated superiority are insightful and frightening in equal measures. The portrayal, too, of the treatment of other human beings in a culture of societal brainwashing truly marks the importance of the central premise. The play’s overarching depiction of the arbitrary declassification of human beings (“If it turns out they are people, then what?”) is horrifying and sobering. The production is bold and incredibly ambitious and, despite its limitations when tackling several enormous topics in its one-and-a-half-hour duration, its message is clear, relevant and packs a hell of a punch.
We saw Ugly at The Carriageworks on 27 September
Posted on Thursday 30th September 2010
Adam Z. Robinson
The Carriageworks
The Electric Press, 3 Millenium Square, Leeds, LS2 3AD
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