Review: BOY PARTS, Soho Theatre
Photo credit: Joe Twigg Photography
In collaboration with Metal Rabbit Productions, Soho Theatre has brought an adaptation of Eliza Clark’s award winning novel Boy Parts to its Main House stage. Adapted by Gillian Greer (Meat, Theatre503; Petals, Theatre Upstairs), directed by Sara Joyce (Dust by Milly Thomas; Fringe First winning The Last Return) and starring Aimée Kelly (most recently seen starring opposite Idris Elba in Hijack on Apple TV+); this female creative powerhouse has produced an exploration of 21st century gender roles which takes the audience on an exhilarating yet sinister journey.
Running for 80 minutes without an interval, this one-woman show is depicted through the eyes of Irina Sturges, a female photographer whose work is a mixture of fetishism and feminism, with a volatile undertone which gradually surfaces throughout the duration of the piece. Presented with an opportunity to exhibit her work at a highly influential gallery in London, Irena pushes herself and her models to the limit in an attempt to achieve a new level of extremity, forcing her to confront the darkest parts of her own psyche. Kelly’s performance is electric, bringing to life a variety of characters; the heightened comedic eccentricities of her flatmate Flo, the physicality of Flo’s stagnating partner Michael and the aloof characterics of the various teen boys Irina scouts to become her models, to name but a few. The theatre itself is representative of a gallery exhibition as we’re handed Irina’s business card on arrival, which notably highlights that proof of age is a requirement to take part in her photoshoots. A large screen spans the length of the stage, creating two interchangeable performance areas in front and behind the screen, as well as serving as visual aid throughout. As we take our seats, titles of Irena’s work are projected onto the screen, setting the tone for her artistic style; ‘Boy with beard being shaved’, 2023 - Photographic print’ and ‘Boy on the kitchen floor,’ 2023 - a polaroid series’...
Much like the entirety of the play, these visuals are left to our imagination, and Irena’s male subjects are presented via her detailed descriptions, all of whom need to have a ‘baby face’ and little to no body hair.
With only a single black stool used as a prop, and the rest being imagined through Kelly’s performative representation, we watch her pet an invisible cat and re-enact photoshoots without ever holding a physical camera in her hands. Sound and lighting choices aid the storytelling process; a bright white flash of light to assimilate the taking of a photograph and the beeping noise of a supermarket scanner helps transport us to a scene in Tesco’s. A key moment where the use of mixed media is particularly effective is when Irena is on her back, sprawled across the floor, recounting her experience of a sexual assault. This is filmed and presented back to the audience on the screen, with her shadow being elongated and manipulated, creating an image somewhat similar to something you might see in a rorschach test.
Boy Parts successfully delivers what it set out to do; exploring the complexities of female sexuality, desire and power dynamics. Aimée Kelly does a fantastic job of maintaining audience attention and delivering a stream of consciousness from the perspective of a witty, yet chaotic and threatening female protagonist. With so much content to absorb, some elements of Irena’s past which are intentionally kept vague could possibly be drawn out further, as a huge revelation at the latter end of the play feels as though it could benefit from more exploration and time to resonate with the audience before moving on to the next scene.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Chess Hayden
Boy Parts plays at Soho Theatre until 25 November, with further information here.