Review: THE BLEEDING TREE, Southwark Playhouse Borough
Photo credit: Lidia Crisafulli
The Bleeding Tree at Southwark Playhouse plunges audiences into the world of a mother and her two daughters as the trio attempt to cover up the murder of their abusive husband/father. What unfolds is captivating, dark and quite simply, an exceptionally polished piece of theatre.
The actors, Elizabeth Dulau, Mariah Gale and Alexandra Jensen, work together in perfect synchronicity with slick movement direction from Iskandar إسكندر R. Sharazuddin to create a play that is so deeply connected to their physical beings that The Bleeding Tree could almost be classed as dance or performance art.
Indeed, despite the graphic detail and the pure horror of the situation that these characters are pushed into because of their horrific patriarch, director Sophie Drake manages to create a nuanced atmosphere that breathes both absolute fear and real hope.
Credit must go to Drake, in collaboration with the actors and Angus Cerini’s script, that the performance truly feels like one of those special moments in theatre when the audience are completely, utterly immersed in the action. The acting is totally convincing with emotional connection so palpable you can practically taste it. Additionally, all actors transport the auditorium to that Australian backyard, with performances that bleed with truth and feeling.
Not only is the concept of The Bleeding Tree immediately fascinating as audiences, naturally, want to discover what happens to these women, but Cerini’s writing also treads a delicate balance, being both lyrical and razor sharp. One of the most impactful and shrewd lines of the play is when a post officer enters the scene and threatens to expose the murder, yet the mother (Mariah Gale) immediately questions the hypocrisy in the fact that no one would speak up while the abuse was happening to them, only now is the post officer finding his voice.
The set design by Jasmine Swan presents audiences with a wave-like brutalist structure that is swamped in blood-red gravel and works to create an immediate atmosphere of tension to complement Cerini’s play. Indeed, the heightened stakes and tension do not let up for one second from lights up to lights down.
The Bleeding Tree is an intense, unforgettable hour of bold and darkly beautiful theatre.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Nancy Brie
The Bleeding Tree plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 22 June, with further info here.
