Honestly – The Space – Review
by Hugh Maguire

Dates: 24 Sep – 28 Sep

With a ‘West End’ dominated by the glitzy world of Disney – and associated exorbitant costs, one has to go to the outer reaches of suburbia to see anything truly worthwhile.  From the Arcola in Dalston to the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond is quite a stretch physically, but nonetheless, it proves that the show goes on at interesting and often quirky venues across London.  One such space is literally ‘The Space’ on the Isle of Dogs – not exactly on the tourist route.  So it takes determination to get there, and yet it is always worthwhile – no more so than in the recent production written and directed by Antony Bellekom of Dogwood Productions.

With Bellekom’s background in radio, this piece would work well on that medium too – where we follow the delusional world of Chloe and her fraught sessions with Emma, a prison psychologist.  Walter Mitty was one thing, but Chloe is something else, a young woman who has consistently lied and reinvented herself endlessly – one name here, one name there – one background here and a different one in the next town.  There are many such characters in history and on stage and screen – one thinks of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley (1955).  In that narrative, Ripley is, of course, a hardened con artist out for self-interest and ultimately will have his own paranoia to contend with. The world of crime, as many know to their cost, is full of chancers, with people presenting as one character while hiding another, often with the intent to deceive.  Chloe, by contrast, while her own worst enemy is not particularly harming anyone. She seems rather jolly and annoyingly self-satisfied.  She may be irritating those she comes into contact with, breaking up relationships and driving people to distraction, but no one bites the dust.  If anyone is suffering, it is the psychologist.   Again, this is a type we have seen before, with the questions being asked of the patient creating a considerable amount of self-examination.  The stresses are shared with the close friend Ruth, and it is clear that Emma herself needs help.

The drama, a short piece (again a nod to radio), is of course playing with ideas and themes of what is and what is not real; what is the truth?  The truth for one person may not be the truth for an outside observer.  Who can tell and who can judge?  Sometimes the truth is impossible, and lying is the only way to survive, in a domestic argument or on the international stage.  What can we ever know deep down?  Exploring these deeper themes with a light hand makes for a rewarding and stimulating performance.

Honesty – Written & Directed by Antony Bellekom
Cast: Shona Maule (Chloe), Robbie Bellekom (Emma), Laura Turner (Ruth)