Thu 26 Apr
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
★★★★☆
words: STEVE GIBBS
Thrilling, compelling and visceral, Pornography is a superb depiction of a city on fire and under attack. What it isn’t, though, is shocking.
Such is our collective familiarity, in the 21st century, of a multicultural, dysfunctional capital and the violence which lurks below its surface, that Pornography is an entirely appropriate title. It may arouse an intense emotional reaction, but our senses are ultimately dulled by the sheer ubiquity of what we witness.
Beginning on a dizzying melange of beats, courtesy of High Contrast, and a roll-call of the victims of London’s 7/7 bombings, Simon Stephens’ script starts on a high and only gets better. The early-morning routines of seemingly unconnected Londoners swirl around a naked set which is frequently deconstructed and even assaulted by a fine cast. In their midst, silently and anonymously, a young British Muslim creates one of the bombs which killed 52 people in 2005.
Through a series of vigorous yet often humorous vignettes, Stephens captures the fear and confusion of a London about to be awarded the Olympic Games. We see a boy in sports casual (Gwydion Rhys), uncouth, unwittingly hilarious and obsessed with his maths teacher, Miss Watson; a University lecturer (Richard Elfyn) in the throes of a breakdown that is only complicated by the return of a former student (Dinah Olajire), who in turn is reconciled, rather too passionately, with her brother (Jade Willis); and a bewildered 82-year-old academic (Sharon Morgan), addicted to internet porn and spitting out wonderfully scathing critiques of modern society as a reaction to her “blank shivering terror of human contact”.
The shards of humanity which shine through – in graceful dancing, alone, in an empty room, and being allowed to gatecrash a barbeque simply because the chicken smelt good – provide brief respite from the onslaught which, ironically, abates slightly when the fateful morning dawns. “Today the sun will shine throughout all England” he predicts, setting off on a convoluted journey from the north west to London. Providing an insightful analysis of his country’s strengths and ills, he then wreaks terror on its capital city. Lives fall apart but soon the routine begins again, encapsulating both the resilience and monotony of its population. Given an all-Welsh cast by Cardiff’s Waking Exploits company, Pornography could be transposed to many different cities and still retain its impact.
For now, though, one of Wales’ most exciting new theatre companies has done great justice to the people of London.
