Simply gripped by the gruesome goings on of this play the production of Sarah Kane's Blasted was phenominal. Usually someone that without an interval I start to get restless and distracted but I was gripped to this play from start to finish, for the full hour and forty five minutes.
Having not seen a Sarah Kane play been produced before and only having studied extracts within classes I didn't know quite what to expect, I was half expecting a disjointed production of just ridiculous spectacle and then the other a harrowing, complex plots that were virtually impossibly to follow - how wrong I was on both counts!
Although this play was harrowing and the production challenges they had to explore on stage from a hotel being exploded to the ground to a dead baby being eaten on stage. Some looked through their fingers and others open mouthed this production certainly created an impression.
It has to be commented though that it wasn't just the challenges faced on stage but the story line I too was suprised at. The complexity of Kane's writing although brutal was almost beautiful and her deliberate choice of words helped the actor's characters develop and morph throughout the production showing all sides of their personalities. The lines were so economically written that each had purpose and power which drove the story line forward. The context of which could be applied in almost any country or era, but it is believed Kane was commenting on the Bosnian war.
Danny Webb was brilliant in his leading role I believed every word that left his mouth, from hating him at the beginning of the play to feeling great empathy for his defencelessness toward the end. The racist, homophobic, sexist stereotypical Nothern lout at the beginning slowly crumbled before our eyes as he slowly lost his dignity and toward the end felt quite sorry for him. It was tragic to see the downfall of such a pathetic man before our eyes.
Lydia Wilson as the young Cate played the young girl with special needs, a stutter and epilepsy we almost felt was being abused and used at the beginning of the play. Sometimes could not work out if she was a prostitute or had just been lured in by the creepy old man. Her character had the ability to switch between a childish, vulnerable defenceless girl to a wild and almost insane passionate woman who was very aware of what she was doing. Such a challenging role for a young actress something I think she managed to pull off well although at times I think was overshadowed by Webb's performance, arguably what should happen with him being a stronger character, but their relationship together I felt believable.
I felt it so interesting to see the similarities between the two characters too and I almost felt that is why they had such a passionate relationship one minute they would be fighting the next they would be having sex.
It must be also mentioned of Aiden Kelly who played the soldier. At the moment he was raping the character of Iam lamenting over the death of his beloved you almost felt sorry for his loss and I feel he had some of the most difficult lines to deliver within the play and this was the part that most toyed with my emotion.
This production was nothing like I had ever seen, such a contrast from any play and although shocking, it was almost tasteful in its delivery and everything that took part on stage was totally believable. It provoked reaction from everyone in the audience, such hard hitting subjects on stage one almost feels disgusting for saying it was brilliant, but I suppose that's a good thing!
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