Lyonesse at Harold Pinter Theatre
- The harsh reality of most women’s choice
Are the critics right or is this the reality that most people still finding too hard to accept in today’s society?
*this article contains spoilers
Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas are starring in Penelope Skinner’s new play - Lyonesse, directed by Ian Rickson. The stars in this show are undeniably a big draw for the audience, and the subject matter explored by the female protagonists in the play is both haunting and reflective. As one would expect a play with such calibre be flawless, we booked the tickets 3 months in advance without hesitation.
We travelled to London on the second week of the performance, and we were finally tempted to look up on some reviews before the show. To our surprise all major news publications had given the play low ratings unanimously. The Times – 1 star; Evening Standard – 1 star; Guardian – 2 stars; The Telegraph – 3 stars and The Independent – 3 stars. Low opinions flashing in with quotes abundant such as ‘stars can’t save this script from itself’; ‘an utter embarrassment’; ‘messy #MeToo tale’; and ‘A starry mess’. Reviews like these of course will make viewers a little anxious in seeing the play, but experience speaks that one should see and judge for oneself.
Despite the troubling reviews, the theatre was full, and everyone was in joyful spirit for the show. The play is set between London and Lyonesse Cornwall, it intertwines the stories of two women of different generations, how their worlds were/are shaped by the choices they made/make, and how their choices were influenced by the men in their lives. It is not surprising that a play performed at Harold Pinter would have comedic effects, and there were many comedic moments in the play with responsive laughter from the audience. The plot explores how women’s potentials were crashed or limited in the world that men control the narrative: for the older and eccentric Elaine (Kristin Scott Thomas), her choice was limited 30 years ago that led to her disappearance from the public eye; whereas for Kate (Lily James) she is facing the dilemma of juggling her career and family life, whilst heavily influenced by her controlling film director husband whose career is ascending to success.
Lily James’s performance was flawless despite some difficulties that the character Sue (Kate’s boss) who is usually played by Doon Mackichan had to be played by an understudy who didn’t know her lines by heart and had to read from a tablet, and at one point the tablet froze therefore actors had to go off stage for 30 seconds to regroup, Lily James was not phased by any of this, and she carried the show with Kristin Scott Thomas giving a solid performance.
The main criticisms from major newspapers were centred around the play not digging deeper enough to Elaine and Kate’s story, ‘whimpers where it should roar’, and some publications even branded it an ‘all men are bad morality play’. Having seen the play, I don’t agree with these opinions so unreservedly given by the reviewers.
First, this is a satirical play, a comedy aimed at exploring a difficult to swallow reality of many women’s lives. The very fact it had a light-hearted approach makes the point even more poignant, and shines a light on the issue and gives the audience room for reflection. The point is not the exact details of Elaine and Kate’s stories but the struggles and choices they face are still very real for women of all generations. I of course feel more connected to Kate’s story due to the similarity in age, where she would prefer to progress her career before committing to more children. Meanwhile I also feel the eccentric Elaine is a character a lot closer to home than how other critics described.
For a brief moment after Kate met Elaine and Chris (Sara Powell), she had a real chance in getting away from the toxic relationship with her husband and pursuit her career with the support and understanding from these women, notwithstanding it won’t be plain sailing, but she had a choice. However, like most women between this brave choice and the option to leap back to the comfort of her current life in her £3million home in North London, she chose the latter, the status quo option, albeit it means putting up with a controlling husband and giving up a project she felt passionate about. This might be considered by the aforementioned critics as cliché and the ambitious Kate should not have the tendency to apologise all the time, but these are still the stark realities of the psyche of most modern-day woman. It requires both men and women being the advocate for the agenda to achieve the equality. Furthermore, Kate’s boss’s attitudes of appearing to support her on a most superficial level is still many organisations’ attitude toward developing younger women, a lip service and tick-box exercise rather than truly valuing their perspectives and inputs.
After the play, chatting to others in the theatre, people I spoke to thought the reviews were harsh, albeit some content may come across a little cringe at times, the overall play confronts a very relevant issue of our time and explores the dilemma faced by women. At the end of the show the powerful metaphor of the stuffed bird in the cage in my opinion is not a direct comparison of woman to lifeless stuffed birds like some critics think, but symbolises the choices women make even when the cage door is open, they are unwilling/unable to fly to freedom and realise their dreams outside the confounds of expectations and safety net around them. However, some comfort in hearing that the younger women in the audience think the show more cringe, perhaps things are changing, and by each generation, women had become braver and men more supportive, albeit still a long way to go, there is hope.
Lyonesse Harold Pinter Theatre, Tue 17 Oct - Sat 23 Dec 2023.
05/11/2023 Written by Tian Ze Hao