Stage: Identity issues

The Doctor
writer-director Robert Icke
with Juliet Stevenson, Naomi Wirthner, Doña Croll, Matilda Tucker, Juliet Garricks, Chris Osikanlu Colquhoun, John Mackay, Preeya Kalidas, Daniel Rabin, Maria Louca, Sabrina Wu
set-costumes Hildegard Bechtler
lighting Natasha Chivers
music-sound Tom Gibbons
drums Hannah Ledwidge
Duke of York's Theatre, London • 29.Sep-11.Dec.22

Loosely based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1912 play Professor Bernhardi, this searing drama by Robert Icke takes on present-day attitudes about identity with so much insight that it can change the way we think. Anchored by a staggeringly committed performance by Juliet Stevenson, it's a bracing production on every level, diving headlong into a swirling brew of gender, race, religion, politics and science. It's also witty and deeply moving, and it challenges the audience in all the best ways.

Founder of an elite hospital, Ruth Wolff (Stevenson) is hugely respected by her team of doctors and nurses. But her imperious approach means that she's not liked. When she refuses to allow a priest (Mackay) to visit a 14-year-old female patient, who is dying after a botched self-administered abortion, the hospital staff is divided in how to respond to the family's complaint. Some think Ruth should stand firm, with the weight of medical ethics on her side. Others want to give into the braying social media mob calling for her dismissal. And Ruth simply can't understand why anyone wants her to apologise for doing the right thing.

Mackay and Stevenson

All of this is twisted around issues of identity, seen by some as a clash between a Jewish doctor and a Catholic family, while others acknowledge a health care professional respecting the privacy of her patient. Or perhaps this is connected to Ruth's gender, or the fact that the priest is Black, or whether or not Ruth shoved him. Discussions escalate into emotive shouting matches, while Ruth retreats to her personal life for respite, thinking about her partner Charlie (Garricks) or a young trans neighbour (Tucker) who escapes from her family to hang out with the more understanding Ruth.

Complementing Icke's incisive writing, everything about this production is fiendishly clever. Casting decisions cross racial and gender lines to force the audience to consider the meaning of each connection and clash. The set and lighting are deceptively simple, transitioning from a hospital hallway to a home kitchen to board room to a televised live debate. And each moment is accompanied by Ledwidge's percussive counterpoints, which skilfully reflect the audience's reaction but never guide it.

Garricks and Stevenson

Performances across the board are riveting, often intensely provocative as the characters challenge each other in often harsh ways. But they also bring out earthy, natural personalities. At the centre, Stevenson has steely, full-bodied magnetism as a sharp-speaking woman who has earned admiration even as she's publicly aloof and demanding. Wirthner has the most intense role opposite her as a colleague fiercely, and blindly, opposed to Ruth's actions. And the way the supporting cast plays multiple roles continually prevents us from putting anyone into a box.

While the first half remains largely story-based, the text digs much deeper into the themes after the interval, finding textures and complexities in each argument. It's so beautifully written that each perspective carries the weight of truth, even when it contradicts another point. So the most salient idea is how the play grapples with the tension between individual and corporate actions. Personal opinions are easier to transcend than those shared by many. But even as individuals, we still carry the weight and responsibilities of each group we belong to, whether or not we agree with them.

Wirthner (right)

Tucker and Stevenson

photos by Manuel Harlan • 9.Oct.22

30th Flare: Holding on

The British Film Institute's 30th Flare event continues apace all week with a lineup of far above-average films that have an LGBT angle. And along with the superb movies, it's been great to be able to hang out with the filmmakers. I've interviewed a few of them, and just had drinks with others from all over the world, sharing the issues they face in getting these stories told. Here are more highlights...

Holding the Man

dir Neil Armfield; with Ryan Corr, Craig Stott 15/Aus ****

Based on a true story, this Australian drama is evocatively shot and edited, and it's thankfully focussed on its engaging characters rather than the plot or themes. Director Neil Armfield stirs in a sweet, complex mix of emotions as Tommy Murphy's script addresses some very important issues. But the 1970s-1990s setting makes it feel oddly past its time, sometimes overstating the message. Even so, it's honest and powerfully moving. [Pictured above: Stott and Corr with Sarah Snook.]

Departure 

dir Andrew Steggall; with Juliet Stevenson, Alex Lawther 15/UK ****

Dark and introspective, this drama isn't always easy to watch, especially with its sometimes overpowering sense of impending doom. But the performances are so astute that it's impossible to look away. And with his first feature writer-director Andrew Steggall shows remarkable skill at bringing universal experiences to vivid emotional life.

Closet Monster 

dir Stephen Dunn; with Connor Jessup, Aaron Abrams 15/Can ***. 

Filmmaker Stephen Dunn takes a strikingly introspective look into the life of a young boy who feels like his life is spiralling out of control. Beautifully shot and edited, the film mixes artfully stylised flights of fancy with earthy themes that cut to the heart of big issues like bullying and self-loathing. But more than that, this is a thoughtful exploration of someone learning to accept his sexuality... FULL REVIEW >

Ka Bodyscapes 

dir Jayan Cherian; with Jason Chacko, Kannan Rajesh 16/Ind **** 

With a deceptively gentle, observant style, this is a seriously pointed depiction of young people bristling against the harshly extremist culture in Kerala. The film openly challenges the accepted misogyny and homophobia in both Islam and Hinduism. But this is much more than a political film, as the bold writer-director Jayan Cherian keeps the focus on the resonant personal drama.

Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story 

dir-scr Michael Stabile; with John Waters, Chi Chi LaRue 15/US **. 

The fascinating life of iconic Falcon Studios founder Chuck Holmes is recounted in this rather lacklustre documentary. The problem is that filmmaker Michael Stabile seems more interested in Holmes' groundbreaking porn movies than in the man himself. But he's also too timid to show proper clips, instead editing them almost comically to get an R rating. Which means that the documentary, while educational, misses the point it might have made.

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C R I T I C A L   W E E K

As for regular releases screened to the press this week, I caught up with Nia Vardalos' sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which is the same warm-silly culture-clash comedy as the 2002 original; Zootropolis (aka Zootopia) is lively and entertaining, and also the usual Disney franchise-launching concoction; Idris Elba stars in the energetic anti-terrorism thriller Bastille Day; the French teen-sex drama Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story is too mopey to be as provocative as it wants to be; and Mark Cousins' I Am Belfast is a lyrical but deeply quirky look at the Northern Irish capital.

This coming week I have a very late press screening (tonight) of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice plus Natalie Portman in the Western Jane Got a Gun, but most of my time will be spent at Flare.