Walking into the set of Sanctuary at the Hope Theatre reminds one of why theatre has lasted for a millennium. One does not need a big space or large budget to instantly transport an audience. Upon entering the small black box space, the audience are immediately transported to the boarded up and lived in basement of Cassie—a yogi with liberal views in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The set told the full story of her life and packed a strong punch.
Both actors (Laura Shipler Chico as Cassie and Andrea Milton-Furlotti as Amelia) were constantly alive and fully embodied their characters. Additionally, the direction by Donna King was expertly done, taking a tight 50-minute two hander and building a full and dynamic world. However, neither of these things could save a play that started out strong but quickly dissolved into a preachy, circular discussion that as American I am all too familiar with. After a certain point, both women ceased to be the fully realised humans they started as and morphed into little more than political cartoons of their respective parties.
Watching a show that deals with the current political climate of The United States as a (progressive socialist) citizen of America with a primarily British audience was strange. Though the show was certainly intended to have moments of humour balanced with the harrowing reality that the neighbourhood was under siege by Proud Boys, there were also moments that were clearly intended to highlight the insidiousness of Donald Trump’s cult leader-like chokehold on Conservative Americans. These moments, which I found particularly frustrating and all too reminiscent of real discussions I have had, were taken as comedy by an audience who most likely has little experience living in the throes of a Trump presidency.
I would have loved to see a play where two characters listened to each other and impacted each other more than Amelia and Cassie do. It’s not clear why Amelia—a woman so blinded by the political leanings of her husband—would come hunker down in a basement with her diametrically opposed friend if she didn’t at some level believe that the Proud Boys (a groups to which her sons and husband belong) posed a threat to her safety and way of life.
The sound scape unfolding outside of Cassie’s boarded up window was harrowing and effective but could not make up for the fact that the audience did not see any of it happening nor the direct repercussions of it until the last possible moment.
Though there’s no denying that the drama was certainly high, there was little change or arc for the characters, the script was not propulsive, and very little actually happened aside from a long and exhausting political debate (which, if I so desired, I could watch the same conversation unfold in the comment section of any Facebook post). The play did a good job of highlighting the loss of critical thinking skills in supporters of the American Conservative Party, but that is where the larger work of the script stopped.
Sanctuary runs at the Hope Theatre until 30th November.
★★★☆☆ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Christine Rose
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