Something Clean follows married couple Charlie (Katherine Oliver) and her husband Doug (Lawrence Carmichael) after a sexual assault case tears their family apart. When Charlotte begins to volunteer at a centre for victims – or survivors – of assault, she quickly strikes up a friendship with colleague Joey (Felipe Chavez).
So writes Calum Skuodas for theQR.co.uk…
The show proceeds day by day: the lights come up, we have a window into these lives, and then the lights go down with a ringing sound reverberating in the audience’s ears. Eventually, it all blurs into an agonising string of tension, stress and occasional laughter.
It’s a creative trick by director and sound designer Alex Stroming alongside lighting designer Phil Hamilton that perfectly complements Selina Fillinger’s chilly and contemporary writing. Fillinger takes on the strong themes of sexual violence that are deeply and intimately held at the core of the show with remarkable honesty.
Eventually, it all blurs into an agonising string of tension, stress and occasional laughter.
It’s a creative trick by director and sound designer Alex Stroming alongside lighting designer Phil Hamilton that perfectly complements Selina Fillinger’s chilly and contemporary writing.
There are numerous flourishes to the script that will make the audience’s heart sink – Charlotte’s tidying up on campus stuck out especially to me. She also includes just the right amount of normalcy into the storm of emotions to make the themes hit home.
The terrible mundanity of a marriage in crisis
I did, however, feel that the performance was too long at 90 minutes, especially as this is something of a slowburner. This is a surprise since the show is split into such identifiable, day-by-day chunks – it would have been straightforward to make the occasional cut.
On stage, Oliver and Carmichael give measured and considered performances that perfectly portray the terrible mundanity of their married life. Oliver is glassy-eyed and cold throughout, letting the audience in only through her friendship with Joey. Carmichael’s performance is similarly detached, channelling the brooding discontent of a middle-aged man who does not quite know what to do.
The two are a believable couple, and while they do capture the aftermath of the disaster striking their family, the detached, clipped sense of their performance does not give the audience much to hang on to. While I can understand why Stroming and Fillinger would want to play the character this way, it feels like a missed opportunity. When dealing with the raw, emotional issues surrounding sexual assault, I felt myself wanting more bloody-minded performances.
Slick staging meets emotional distance
Chavez is a bright spark throughout and plays his role well. While he is similarly lacking when it comes to emotional gravity, his role as the outwardly acceptable face of sexual assault is an important part of the show.
While I can understand why Stroming and Fillinger would want to play the character this way, it feels like a missed opportunity. When dealing with the raw, emotional issues surrounding sexual assault, I felt myself wanting more bloody-minded performances.
I was particularly impressed by the slick staging of the performance; using only a simple table and two chairs, the actors jump between scenes seamlessly. It allows the concept to be executed slickly and ties the show together while being hardly noticeable – plaudits to set designer Agathe Williamson and movement director Tutu Ching here.
Something Clean is a powerful show that will connect with survivors of sexual assault around the world and their families. It’s engaging and thoughtful, but its potential is ultimately unfulfilled. It lacks the performances to hang its hat on, which the drama of the script relies on.
Featured Image: Something Clean at Lion & Unicorn Theatre. Photo credit Tutu Ching
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