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Review: Diagnosis (Finborough Theatre)

Review by Sophie Wilby


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Four years since her previous production, Oliver Award nominee Athena Stevens returns to Finborough Theatre as the writer and actor of speculative thriller Diagnosis. Directed by and starring Ché Walker, it is a brief peek into the not-so-distant yet concerningly dystopian future. 



When a young woman’s (Athena Stevens) mysterious power for predicting the injuries or trauma that strangers will suffer by visualising glowing words over their heads lands her in police custody, the audience are asked to step into the role of a ‘Citizens Supervisory Panel’. Introduced to help protect vulnerable citizens from police coercion or misconduct, the audience’s role presents an interesting take on the criminal justice system within a not-to-distant future. Unnamed wheelchair user ‘She’ commits the assault in her desire to save a woman in a bar from a traumatic event. The bar itself is not as we may expect but a nitrous bar (reminiscent of Anthony Burgess’ Korovo Milkbar’s from A Clockwork Orange) where patrons go to get high. After her arrest by Rookie (Ted Walliker), she fights to be taken seriously by the no-nonsense Officer Terry (Ché Walker) as she pleads with him to prevent Rookie from returning to Embankment where she predicts a life-changing disaster will soon take place. 


Though short, it is a gripping and intense 50 minute production with tension undercut by fleeting moments of humour - namely the existence of a fox in London (hinting towards their scarcity in the 2030s when the story is set). It’s certainly an interesting premise, reminiscent of Philip K Dick’s Minority Report but the short runtime limits the depth of the world-building which would perhaps add to the roundedness of the story. Though there are hints towards the impact of climate change (such as with the decline in foxes), and the prevalence of new technologies, it would be interesting to delve further into this bleak future imagined by Stevens. 



Battling to be heard, Athena Stevens  is a powerfully emotive and captivating performer. The lighting (Mark Dymock) may dim to centre the attention on her monologues, but her performance alone is enough to entirely draw the audiences’ attention. Her frustration at being disbelieved by both her employer, and now by the officer, is not just shown through her outbursts but through her dark humour. Ché Walker similarly plays his role well, believable as the frustrated and disbelieving copper. We feel his restrained anger, as though he is shackled by protocol and the role played by the audience. And for what is predominantly a two-hander, the two bounce well off of one another with Walker often taking a back seat in order to let Stevens shine. Though his stage time is brief, Tim Walker is similarly believable police officer, and his line delivery over the radio brings in the majority of the humour to the show. 


The simple setting (Juliette Demoulin) consisting of a strip light and blinds works well to emulate a stark and drab police station. The main hint from the staging towards the near-future setting comes from the addition of a panel on the wall where AI transcribes the interview. Though an interesting nod towards the potential incorporation of AI in criminal justice, the screen itself was small and would perhaps have been more effective if it were functioning as a way of subtitling the performance. Growing in popularity, director Walker introduces the use of onstage camera which works well to cement the interrogation room feeling whilst being utilised to close-in on Stevens to add to the focus. 



Though it would be interesting to see Diagnosis developed further, as it stands it is an intriguing show - short but definitely not sweet, it is well worth a quick trip to the theatre. 


Diagnosis plays at Finborough Theatre until June 7th



Photos by Alex Walton

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