Review: Barrier(s) (Birmingham Rep)

Review by Raphael Kohn

⭐️⭐️⭐️

How do you fall in love with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you? That’s the question Eloise Pennycott, writer of Barrier(s), wants to ask. This isn’t about spoken languages, though; rather, this is a romance between Alana, who is hearing and communicates in spoken English, and Katie, who is deaf and signs in BSL. It’s an interesting premise, forming the basis of a bilingual play which aims to break the very barriers its name implies.

Told over the course of two hours, it follows Katie and Alana from their first meeting at a house party through the course of their romance. It starts off strong, playing off the awkward energy between the two, instantly drawn to each other yet unable to communicate fluently. The onstage pair have an immediate chemistry, with Em Prendergast’s bold-yet-uncomfortable Alana trying to communicate in spoken English while Zoë McWhinney’s Katie toys with them in BSL. That, however, develops into far more for the duo.

As the play unfolds, Alana and Katie fall in love, as Alana gradually learns more and more BSL and the couple communicate more effectively. It’s cute, undoubtedly, with acharming energy permeating through many of their interactions. We follow Alana and Katie through the highs and lows of their relationship, and the highs certainly carry a candy-like sweetness, like the honeymoon montage of a classic rom-com. It’s hard not to like.

And then, increasing in intensity as the play continues, there’s a darkness in the background. Pennycott, the writer, takes the pair on a sadder journey as they battle against the barriers put up in society against deaf people. The show carries a very clear message, imploring the audience to listen to deaf people, to care about the way they are treated, and to actively work towards a more inclusive world. But perhaps, in trying to make such a clear point, this is where things go wrong.

It is often said that art should ‘show, not tell’. Unfortunately for Barrier(s), it is all tell, and some additional show to ensure that the point is hammered home. Rather than giving us a story to connect to emotionally, exploring how our society’s schools, hospitals, and public services are built around hearing people and don’t support deaf people, Barrier(s) takes the simpler route of going from scene to scene of Katie being discriminated against without any restraint.

Katie, rightfully, gets angry at her situation, but that ends up defining her character and reducing her down to simply someone raging at the system. It’s not to say the system shouldn’t be raged at – as Barrier(s) proves, it certainly should – but this is a play, not a political speech. Therein lies the problem, as Pennycott’s writing descends into each character agreeing on how discriminatory society is, but in ways that simply do not mirror realistic dialogue and rather seem to just be Pennycott’s stream of consciousness slamming society.

This isn’t helped by a plot hole in the first act that comes out of nowhere and serves only to create a semblance of tension. Unfortunately, it soon appears to be completely illogical when contextualised by things said in the play, relying on some pretty extreme suspension of disbelief to justify itself. It’s a shame, really, as it comes just as things are getting tremendously engaging, right when we reach a critical point in the couple’s relationship and it finally feels we can really root for them. With a bit more tweaking of the plot itself, and some careful rethinking though, these are the kind of issues that can be ironed out.

The second act gets going on a strong foot and appears to really hit the ground running. This is where the challenges come in the interpersonal side of Alana and Katie’s relationship, and we get to see their more emotional sides at play. Both Prendergast and McWhinney are absolutely tremendous as they get deep into the story and find more detail in their characters, bringing out their flaws as much as their strengths. But unfortunately, the second act then completely undoes itself with a twist ending that goes unnecessarily meta, entirely ruining the story it had just been telling in order to hammer home its abundantly clear messagewhile casting the story to the side.

So, a mixed bag. There’s plenty to love still, even if it’s just watching Alana and Katie’s relationship blossom in the first act as Alana’s BSL develops, or seeing them grow through adversity in most of the second. It’s rather excellent creatively; director Paula Garfield focusses the action on the onstage pair on Paul Burgess’ minimalist set. At the back, two canvases stand on which Burgess captions the entire show,using creative and often very artistic projections. There are a few hiccups here and there – each scene transition is a touch long and jarring, while some of the captions don’t match the spoken words, but these are minor quibbles on an otherwise well-made production.

I really think there’s more to Barrier(s) than what its current iteration suggests. Part of me felt like I was watching a work-in-progress developmental run of the play, in which Pennycotthad tried every single idea just to see what might work. The trouble is that not all of them do, and some careful rewriting might be needed before Barrier(s) reaches its full potential. Rest assured though, if it gets to that stage, I’d be the first back in the theatre to see it again.

Barrier(s) plays at the Birmingham Rep Theatre until 25^th October 2025, then touring. Full dates and tickets from https://www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk/event/barriers

Photos by Becky Bailey