By Ian Diddams
Images by Luke Ashley Tame of Acadia Creative
Around 2 million women are victims of violence perpetrated by men every year, that’s 3,000 offences recorded every single day.
A year ago, Uncaged Theatre brought their work in progress production “Faith” to the Rondo Theatre. Its review can be found here. A year later they are about to take its completed version – now entitled “love you, bye” – to the Edinburgh Fringe and are warming up with a four-night run at Ustinov Studio, Bath. It has indeed come a long way since that nascent concept and has become a more rounded, holistic production … which is still sphincter clenchingly, seat squirmingly uncomfortable watching at times – especially if you are male.
The number of offences has grown 37% in the last five years and violence against women and girls accounts for 20% of all recorded crime. That’s recorded. Not total, only what is actually told to the police.
The fundamental premise and action of the play remains the same – four friends, a missing woman, the ramifications. The external pressures on the group of trial by social media and finger pointing, and on the missing woman of asking for it, being out alone after dark. The media’s gloss-over reporting with its own inherent racial and societal biases, the group’s individual coping mechanisms, personal even selfish concerns… and collapse of trust… all remain in this final product. But while “Faith” was a work in full, “love you, bye” uses the play as a glorified MacGuffin to the real message of the production.
A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK. That’s 168 women murdered at the hands of a man every year.
As writer Meg Pickup – who plays Colly – says “We didn’t want to write a play just about the victim – we wanted to write about those still standing, and how they carry the weight. We wanted to create something that doesn’t just speak to grief, but to the fierce loyalty and messy beauty of a chosen family. The group at the centre of the play acts as a microcosm of society’s response to violence against women and girls.”
In the year ending March 2022, there were 194,683 sexual offences, of which 70,330 were rape. Thats reported rape, again not total, only what is actually told to the police.
Is the performance a lecture? Is it “entertainment”? These are the questions asked by Colly/Meg directly to the audience. The characters reflect people we all know. Some reading this review and seeing the production will have shared in the characters’ own experiences. It uses real audio of the likes of Trump, Marilyn Manson, Andrew Tate interspersed with real voicemails of ordinary people wishing each other well, saying “I love you”, saying “’bye”. The social imagery is stark, uncomfortable. How do we as a society that individually expresses love to partners and friends combine to create monsters that prey on the vulnerable? Why is it those that are in positions of authority to protect, instead abuse that position. We all know these cases – and also not those cases that the selective media with its own biases omits from our newsfeeds.
Only 3.2% of reported rape is even prosecuted. Then of that 3.2% only 62% are convicted.
The play part of the production includes two new characters from “Faith”. Firstly, a collective female character “Everywoman” who is represented by the three female protagonists in their drinking game of “Never Have I Ever” requiring a downed shot for every challenge that has happened to them which quickly becomes increasingly dark outlining their shared experiences of violence as females. And there is now “Not-All-Men” – a, it must be said, loathsome character insisting that it’s all somewhat overblown and not widespread, and whose own words condemn himself for his self denial and lack of collective responsibility and empathy, while wallowing in the words of Richard III and King Lear to justify his position.
The broad indication is that, during the last year, of the 70,330 rapes reported to police only 1,378 led to a conviction…
“love you, bye” is performed by four actors with six parts. Meg Pickup – who also co-wrote the piece – excels as the bullish and frankly bullying Colly who in some ways actually – unbeknownst to her – reflects some of the toxically masculine traits she so despises, in her relationship with Kaia, played by Taruna Nalini. Both portray their failing relationship with skill, neither overegging the tragedy that is happening to them externally and internally nor shying away from the difficult concepts of the story. Taruna’s vulnerability is the perfect foil to Meg’s bullishness and in so doing they reflect the wider society the premise of the play explores. Taruna combines the pain and pleasure of a relationship that isn’t always equal, while carrying a secret from her youth in a different culture, different social mores that nonetheless has a profound lifelong effect – her ability as an actress to mix these emotions and repressed fears is masterful. Billie-Jo Rainbird plays the pivotal role of Mercy, slightly on the outside of her friendship group but devoted to them all and they to her. Her strength is subtle, not worn on her sleeve but she is clearly supportive of not only her friends but also her partner’s anxiety back at their flat, all played sweetly and calmly, a unifying force. Billie-Jo also designed the sound and lighting for the show as well as the digital program. These three also represent collectively “Everywoman”, a combined edifice of womanhood sharing their abuses in a drinking game. These are fast paced scenes delivered perfectly with all the hidden menace in their reported words starkly evident while externally they just blankly down their shots. That just leaves Mercy’s flatmate, the promiscuous devil-may-care gay friend, played by Nicholas Downton-Cooper. Nicholas captures the sexually blithe character of Theo with ease – then the unsure, worried, slightly selfish man concerned at how the world later perceives him. He flip flops this role with the strident, I’m-all-right-Jack delivery of the Not-All-Man character, the polar opposite of Theo’s character in many ways. Flip-flopping between two such opposite characters takes care and skill and Nicholas achieves this seamlessly, aided and abetted by just a pair of spectacles and a yellow shirt in his role changes. Evie Osbon is the directorial genius behind the show and between them all they deliver sixty-eight minutes of gripping, compulsive viewing. It is something everybody should see; the writing is precise, pertinent and pulls no punches.
… This is a conviction rate of less than 2%.
So – is this a lecture? Is it entertainment? Are you uncomfortable? Find out for yourself – the show runs until Thursday 10th at Ustinov Studio Bath, and then at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 19th-25th at 12:30 daily at the Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49), 11b Bristol Place EH1 1EZ.
Tickets from www.theatreroyal.org.uk/events/love-you-bye/ (Bath)
www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/love-you-bye (Edinburgh)
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