Review: THE STRAW CHAIR, Finborough Theatre
Photo credit: Carla Joy-Evans
The Straw Chair, written by Sue Glover and directed by Polly Creed, is a sensitive drama that succeeds in engrossing a modern British audience with the lives and difficulties of mid 18th century women living on a discreet Gaelic-speaking island St Kilda through well defined three-dimensional female characters, humorous scenes and poignant performances.
The ease with which the audience is transported to such a different time and place is admirable and achieved largely due to the organic performances. Siobhan Redmond, playing Lady Grange, deserves a particular mention as the fervour which she brings to the role tugs on the audience’s heart strings and forces one to confront that the painful and incredible story that unravels is one that is in fact, very true. Redmond’s interpretation firmly roots the central themes of the play (misogyny, female insanity and incarceration) through bringing such pain, heart and force to the role.
Beautifully detailed costume design by Carla Joy-Evans also helps to create active and three dimensional female characters who live, breathe and walk in this world. The women of the island are dressed in dirtied linen paired with corsets, all moving with bandaged feet to protect them from the rocks; these are women who cook, clean and survive in base conditions. First we notice the servant Oona with dirty bandaged feet and soon even Isabella (wife to the minister) appears with these bandages in the second act, revealing that even the more ‘refined’ class cannot help but to succumb to the natural conditions in which they are plunged into on this island.
Polly Creed’s direction carefully balances scenes with shifting atmospheres which paired with Jonathan Chan’s lighting design creates a strong emotional landscape to the narrative. The relationship between Oona (convincingly played by Jenny Lee) and Lady Grange is nuanced and incredibly funny at times. A particular scene which shines sees all three women rejoicing in each others company as they loosen their senses on brandy found by Lady Grange. It is a scene of joy and freedom as three women come together left to revel in their senses without the men over seeing and restricting them. The relationship between the minister (played by Finlay Bain) and Isabel (Rori Hawthorn) could have benefited from a similar level of detail to create a more dynamic partnership and history; which we only really begin to understand in the second act.
The Straw Chair is an entertaining, worthy and thought provoking story which succeeds in its voyage of bringing a remote 18th century island to Earls Court.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Viv Williams
The Straw Chair plays at the Finborough Theatre until 14 May, with tickets available here.