Whilst I am a leftist at heart, I was not entirely convinced by Polly Toynbee’s Hard work, Hard work influences within the piece as at times it seemed overly journalistic and more experimental than actually being personified by a real character actually living and breathing this misery. One must remember that this Guardian journalist simply trialled the tribulations by choice rather than it being imperatively thrust upon her as one could easily make the same reference to Orwell, given his upper middle class Eton education. Toynbee was always able to escape ‘the poor life’ at any given moment and I think that Byrne could have honed in on his own direct experiences of Hull life, and actual personalised afflictions which I read with emphatic interest in the programme. It was a blurry distinction at times whether poverty is a choice or a real genuine affliction, and in reality we all know the truth behind that dichotomy.
On a personal level, Byrne’s production rang all true for a native less prosperous northerner such as myself attracted by the bright lights of London and vaste opportunities. Whilst it is true that city life affords society a better income for educated young graduates who flock for their slice of success and prosperity, it can also be an unending cycle of misery and eternal hardship for those that work extended hours to just keep a roof over their head or need transport money to get to their next interview for a less than perfect opportunity on minimum wage. It was Ascoe’s (Toynbee) dark soliloquy of her middle class London lifestyle of taxis, restaurants and residential surburbia to her outage in tenement block living in Tower Hamlets where light bulbs were a luxury that struck most resonance with myself. Whilst I can hardly relate to the homeless or unemployed citizens of this city, I could recognise the underlying tone that the well documented stereotype of the poor abusing the system is never that of an entirely accurate one. The piece certainly favoured the UK welfare system letting the claimant down, and of course genuine hard workers such as Toynbee could always fall on hard times. Nothing is certain during times of economic or social instability, and the world may well be changing to recognise crisis and reach out to those who need it. However, I severely refute this claim that the world is becoming a kinder place to those less fortunate than ourselves.
Scene changes between the past and the present moment were effortlessly seamless which demonstrated his key message that nothing has ever really changed in terms of social mobility. The minimal set design helped with reducing the number of distractions on stage, as sometimes there was too much going on at once. The physicality of the actors, especially using prop devices was artistically effective and eased the switch between the tale of the two cities. Although, I have to admit I felt as if scenes were almost too packed and I easily think the piece could have been longer, even 3 hours and it would still have encaptured all of the key messages without boring the viewer. I certainly wasn’t ready to leave when the show came to somewhat of an unnatural ending. Indeed, I asked my neighbour whether it was simply the interlude as I didn't feel ready to leave. In places, the piece seemed rushed and too quick for reflective interlude as I couldn’t keep apace with my thoughts and felt very overwhelmed when the show ended and was unable to process my initial reaction to the production, other than to say it was hard hitting.
Whilst political plays carry significant symbolism and anecdotal feelings amongst viewers thinking 'oh I must do more, I must volunteer', the sad reality is far what removed and the effect of long term pity for the unemployed and homeless is only ever short lasting. The very sad truth that Byrne excellently portrays is the poor still live amongst the poor and have little chance to go to night school (Toynbee) as the work shifts dictate the ever repetitive cycle of monotonous and tedious work. The middle classes and the rich still carry on as normal as long as nothing interrupts their lifestyle and brings havoc or disruption to the affluent streets of surburbia. Overall, I think Byrne could have taken more political risks than he did, as I would have liked to have seen more provocation of the real class war beyond the archetypal welfare debate. There was evidently subtle and not so subtle references to workers rights, the present state of the NHS but nothing touched upon more worrying crisis’ of the 21st century such as how mass immigration will change our economic landscape and effectively provoke further global issues. Whilst it is evident playwrights are wary to touch upon these issues for fear of political correctness, it may just be what we need in order to really take action from the theatre we see around us. Indeed, theatre is escapism but also it is essential to have a healthy dose of realism so that we can all proudly stand up for what we believe in and help make the world a better place.
Next week: Friday 27 May @ South London Theatre, Norwood Junction 'Many Moons' by Alice Birch.
No comments:
Post a Comment