“The play is bright and witty, and Raine successfully exposes a myriad of failures in the legal system and those working in it. The cast is excellent“
Julia Newbould
4 wigs
Reginald Theatre, Seymour Centre
Consent, emotions, and the law
As the play began, I was reminded of Prima Facie, Suzie Miller’s acclaimed legal drama
Unlike Miller’s powerful monologue, this play – by English playwright and director Nina Raine – was a drama with a full cast of seven talented actors and was structured more like the legal dramas we’re used to seeing on tv where the work and personal lives of characters are intertwined.
Their cases and their personal lives work to illustrate injustices of the law, the lack of support and empathy for victims, and the very real consequences of legal decisions and judgments.
Consent premiered in London’s West End in 2017 to full houses.
It begins at the home of barrister Ed, played by Nic English (Wellmania), his wife Kitty, played to perfection by Anna Sampson from Home and Away and Anatomy of a Suicide and their newborn baby.
They’re paid a visit by fellow legal mates Jake and Rachel, who drop in for a drink like normal friends and make banter – a little inappropriately about the size of the baby’s head and the difficulties of natural birth.
We are then introduced to another mate, Tim (Sam O’Sullivan), who happens to be the prosecuting lawyer in a rape case where Ed will be defending the rapist. Everything at this point shows the law as just a game of strategy and wordplay for the lawyers working in it. It is completely devoid of emotion, right and wrong, even justice. Instead, it’s all about winning for each of the legal players.
Worlds change when Jake and Rachel’s relationship faces a breakup because of an infidelity. The lies, the bantering, the arguments – and the slow discovery that while these may work in the legal arena, when it’s real life, things are (or should be) very different.
Black and white legal arguments do not work in reality. Emotions get in the way.
Meanwhile, the case progresses and the injustice of the legal system in dealing with rape, the harassment and cross examination of victims, and manipulation of lawyers is cleverly shown by Raine to be perpetuating punishment on the victim. Jessica Bell as rape victim Gayle is a standout in this role. The arguments she presents to the crown prosecutor give voice to the inequities in law between victim and defendant. It’s smart and pithy dialogue.
Ed and Kitty’s relationship is in very stark contrast between law and emotion. Kitty is constantly frustrated by husband Ed.
Ed is constantly showing he has no empathy or feeling for the victims he is cross examining. He admits that he finds the victim impact statements to be pointless. Kitty wants to teach him a lesson to make him understand the feeling of a victim, and by the end of the play she succeeds, but it doesn’t go quite the way she plans.
The play is bright and witty, and Raine successfully exposes a myriad of failures in the legal system and those working in it. The cast is excellent – in particular – the bantering in the early scenes in different accents shows their vocal dexterity.
Key to the play is the idea of consent. It is still a contentious courtroom term. And while it is rape if the word ‘No’ is uttered, the circumstances are still not seen as black and white – implied consent versus inferred consent
Then there are the morality questions concerning body ownership, marriage, affairs. . When does an affair start? Does it start when one member of a couple is thinking about it? Or does something physical have to happen?
The play is very English in the way the characters engage and interact, as well as the courtroom. very English and Each actor carried perfect in their accents with only one actually being English, Zara (Anna Skellern).
Consent is strong. It covers many real issues and does so with humour and clever dialogue that is raw and at times cataclysmic
There are times when you know what’s coming but it’s a gentle nudge and not a heavy hand.
The Reginald Theatre at the Seymour Centre is small and the play and performers deserve a larger stage – and hopefully, like Prima Facie, will reach one.
I look forward to seeing more of the playwright and the cast in the future. Congratulations to director Craig Baldwin for a very successful production.
I give it four wigs
Julia Newbould, Theatre Now
