Review: UNICORN, Garrick Theatre
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Polly and Nick have thriving careers, two beautiful children and what most would call ‘a successful marriage’. Yes, they do love each other deeply but the sex has become…boring. Monotonous. Creating a chasm of disconnection. That is until they discover an ever-elusive unicorn in the form of Kate, a socially-conscious Gen Z, and see a chance to bring the magic back into their lives.
With this show, lead producer Kate Horton makes a storming debut as an independent West End producer as part of her new production company, Kate Horton Productions. Over recent years, new plays premiering on the West End have become exceedingly rare. Not to mention that most shows take years to move from script, to the rehearsal room and eventually, if the creative team is lucky, to the stage. It only took Unicorn a matter of months, which both shows the initiative and collective wisdom of the production team and makes this production a significant achievement.
The stage is surprisingly dynamic considering how simplistic it looks from the outset. As we gaze at the yellow strip lights waiting for the show to start, we don’t expect a semi-circular tent to unfold amidst the black backdrop of the main stage, creating a somewhat claustrophobic yet intimate space at the front of the stage. It’s understated and gorgeous, especially with the lighting, which allows for the actors' shadows to be clearly seen, creating a mirror-like effect that aligns with and echoes the confrontational nature of the show.
Additionally, when the tent does fold up so we can see the rest of the blacked out stage behind, we still feel that sense of claustrophobia because it creates a sense of looking down a seemingly bottomless hole. The show doesn’t conventionally fill the space, which may feel like a waste given the size of the Garrick’s stage, but it does change our perceptions of what the space is. It acts like a camera lense, narrowing our focus to the smaller picture of the world of the family before widening out to see the bigger picture of what the world currently looks like. The vastness of the past and the uncertainty of our potential futures encased in the enclosed and narrow minded space of the present.
The scene transitions, whilst very noticeable, help the actors to maintain steady pacing and give us, the audience, a much needed chance to catch our breaths and process what has just happened. For a show which relies more heavily than most on every detail within the playwright's words, this is absolutely essential.
The casting of this show is stellar. Nicola Walker, who plays Polly, portrays her with sophistication, showing the multifaceted nature of sexuality and the ways in which perceptions can grow and evolve.
Stephen Mangan, who plays Nick, is gripping to watch. He really pays attention to every single aspect of his body and is skilled at using gestural subtleties to alter and persuade the mood at any given moment. He doesn’t raise his voice even when his character addresses the darker side of masculinity, instead he conveys a sense of animalistic intensity which is enough to make anyone writhe in their seat. Not to mention the ways in which he creates contrast to this during the many comedic moments in this show by portraying a fundamentally palpable sense of awkwardness.
Erin Doherty, who plays Kate, is by far the true star of the show. From the second she enters the stage space, she has us hooked on her every word. Much like Mangan, she too has talent at creating stark contrasts, in this case taken to a different level as we see how her character changes from being in her twenties to being in her thirties. It is heartbreaking to witness the impassioned and confidently thriving firebrand shrivel with the weight of the world as her life changes. Everything about her physicality changes, she becomes smaller, slower and more reserved.
The world takes her apart piece by piece as she grows and we are rendered utterly helpless, questioning how our society manages to slowly drain the life out of people. That is the play’s true brilliance, in the way that it openly calls out society so bluntly. No topic is off limits, nothing is out of the question. The skin of today’s society is slowly peeled back to reveal that yes, things are better than they were, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. If anything, this play exposes the UK’s dark underbelly, the truths we all know but aren’t ready to admit. It warns us of our potential futures and compels us to stop and think. What do we want for ourselves? What is the best way to survive? And in any case, why can’t we live and let live? Why don’t we value life anymore? Why do we feel the need to break every single member of society one group at a time?
This show is also a call to safety and the embracement of the fact that it's not too late to make positive change. It’s a story of heartbreak and true love. It's better than any fairytale you’re likely to come across because it’s a story of hope and true acceptance. Compassion, empathy, making mistakes, learning and finding the best way forward. It tells us that we can and should do better to aspire to show as much love to people as humanly possible. To fully embrace existence and fundamentally let people live without fear of harm, persecution or death. To focus on ourselves, both as individuals and as a society because we have enough problems that are going unaddressed without adding wider world affairs.
Though fundamentally at its core this show is daring us to consider what kind of an impact we are having on the people around us. If our own prejudices and socially imposed stigmas are getting in the way of honest conversations and preventing us from genuinely showing love.
This story is absolutely needed, especially right now given the terrifying state of the world, with its brave and bold encouragement of everyone to move beyond fear of the different, unknown and unexplained.
Immediate. Gripping. Filled with raw truths and blunt honesty. The epitome of the phrase ‘we need to talk’. This is a play for the now.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill
Unicorn plays at London’s Garrick Theatre until 26 April, with further info here.
