[Performance Analysis:] LEARNING, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London.
In the post-show Q&A, a few things came up that really resonated with some of my readings of this performance. An audience member described the performance as ‘anti-religious’, and the playwright, Francesca Rose, herself described early drafts of the text as ‘rants’ and ‘monologues’ and stated that she was worried that the performance would be unpalatable and rather lecturing. Indeed, there is an element of expounding and verbosity in this text that divorces it greatly from its otherwise character-based plot. There is also, indeed, a significant imbalance in the arguments against vs those for Jewish practices/rituals, with these ‘ranting monologues’ — to associate Rose’s own description with Debs’s loquacious and angry speeches (Gemma Franco) — constituting the vast majority of the text.
Debs’s anger is unmatched and significantly unquestioned; she speaks, uninterrupted, with Jonathan prompting her: “help me understand.” Conversely, she denigrates him and his decisions, does not prompt him to expand on his reasonings, and dismisses his every attempt to express himself and his ideas. This anger is unparalleled; we are not introduced to the beauty and intrigue that convinces Jonathan so much, and so, rather than an inquiry into Jewish practices, rituals and customs, their fairness or their dubiousness, we are left only with this resounding anger. Metatheatrical decisions also do not soften this sense of frustration and, sometimes, even rage.
Of course, we understand that Jonathan is in favour of Judaism, its cultures, its ideals and its teachings, but the text does not — and deliberately, it seems — provide extensive, articulate and eloquent reasonings. Perhaps this could be avoided by more profound explanations from Jonathan (Nick Delvallé) as his Jewish learning develops, as, currently, this imbalance is unaided by the fact that he is a born-again Jew and does not have sufficient wisdom/understanding to support his claims.
Alternatively, there does not need to be a balance, and the play has every right to be explicitly exploratory and reprimanding of Jewish teachings and ritualisations, chiefly because this is reflective of the playwright’s own experience and perspective. However, it is imperative that this chosen imbalance be decisive and deliberate, with reason and purpose. At the moment, its voice is unclear both structurally and stylistically. What is the play really saying? Because the spokesperson for the play’s inquisitions is a frustrated and resentful Debs, the text cannot exploring or inquire but can only reprimand. Indeed, it could be far more thought-provoking if questions were asked and left unanswered, as opposed to handed to us in Debs’s lectures.
Regarding style, then, the performance is divisible into three main forms: sterile and essay-like reflective segments, dance work, and character-based narrative. These three styles seem to clash significantly with one another in the manner in which they desire to express the underlying material, and this leads to stylistic inconsistency. The former of these styles, however, takes notable precedence, and we often find in scenes of the latter form its strictly formal language and direct audience address type resurface and consume. This is intensified with the two actors – but most frequently, Franco — awkwardly and robotically turning away from one another to face and deliver the lines to the audience. Structure and its ornamentation ought to be carefully reconsidered to rectify this clash.
The content is incredibly thought-provoking and appealing to non- and ex-/believer communities alike, either for its direct relatability or in the breakdown of the couple’s relationship for diverging needs. Its themes are engaging, enjoyable, sincere and articulate, and it is clear that its creatives have really digested and understood the significance and meaning of the material, communicating it decisively.
This standard public analysis ends here.
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[Premium Analysis]
For the Creatives Behind this Performance: Additional Notes Are Available on…
Plot Structure and Stylistic Consistency.
Maintaining Realism and Authenticity in Character Speech.
Set Design: Spatial Arrangements and Topography.
The Effects of Direct Audience Address in this Performance.
Characterisation, Character Profiles, and Acting Styles — Detailed Feedback Per Actor.
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