Review: Inter Alia (Wyndham’s Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

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Now and then, a play comes along that gets people talking in different ways, inspiring conversation both about the amazing piece of theatre witnessed and the themes within. For playwright Suzie Miller, this has happened twice in recent years. Following the success of Prima Facie, lightning struck twice with the rapturous response to last year’s Inter Alia. It is no secret how wowed I was by its debut outing at the National Theatre, and I was keen to see if I would have the same response in its West End transfer. Would it be guilty of not having the same impact the second time around, or would my ruling be the same as last time?

Inter Alia centres around maverick London Crown Court Judge, Jessica Parks. She wears many hats, juggling her role as a prominent judge with her roles as a mother and wife, while trying to keep some sense of herself and all she stands for. This is where the title of the play comes into play, with “Inter alia” translating as “among other things”, representing the balancing act Jessica has to do. When it comes to her career, she is determined to change a system she knows isn’t always just, though she finds her morals and beliefs at odds with other aspects of her life when an unthinkable event threatens to unravel everything she has built.

Reviewing a show multiple times is a curious business. There is the risk of repeating myself, knowing I wrote a fairly extensive and gushing review just over eight months ago. However, there are certain aspects of re-reviewing I find thrilling, such as seeing if I view the show differently, knowing exactly what’s to come, as well as how the show has changed as it moves to a different home (Wyndham’s Theatre, in this case). This means I had no shortage of things to talk about this time around - if I was in complete awe of Inter Alia the first time I saw it, I quite possibly loved it even more this time around.

Chief to the brilliance of Inter Alia is writer Suzie Miller, notably the depth and care she has taken in writing this ingenious play. Managing to insert aspects of herself into the story (Miller has plenty of experience working in law as well as being a playwright), Miller also conducted interviews with ten female judges to get their thoughts on a system that has historically been designed by men for men. It is this level of research and attention to detail that makes the writing in Inter Alia so outstanding. The play itself may be a work of fiction, but there is a real believability to it, due to the sensitive way Miller has built the play and, in particular, the character of Jessica Parks. This ensures she is fully fleshed out and multi-faceted, never risking feeling like a caricature and, instead, offering an unparalleled insight into the inner workings of a busy woman and all her conflicts and complexities.

Miller’s writing is consistently dynamic, beginning the play with a bang, demanding your attention and never allowing the opportunity to wander off for a moment. Running at 1 hour 40 minutes without an interval, time seems to stand still as the events of Inter Alia unfold, leaving me gripped at every turn. The writing also offers different tones, with moments of comedy and exaggerated incidents, fighting for time alongside the more sombre and sobering moments that fill the heart of the story. The result is an incredibly thought-provoking and thrilling piece of theatre that attempts to challenge your own beliefs, and forces you to ask the questions of what you would do in the same situation, simplifying it with the question “Victim or villain”?

Having seen Inter Alia at National Theatre last year, I knew exactly what was going to happen when the show began, and that allowed for an even greater appreciation of Suzie Miller’s writing. I’m a great believer in repeat-viewing, with some shows never quite factoring this in - no doubt, we’ve all been guilty of leaving a show and saying “I loved it, but I wouldn’t see that again”. Inter Alia is a play that you can not only enjoy a second time, but also get even more out of it. The foreshadowing of what’s to come, and little easter eggs of dialogue give a knowing wink to those who are aware of the ending already, allowing for seemingly throwaway lines to reveal themselves to be full of even more depth than I had truly appreciated upon my first viewing. Though I knew where the play was going to go, it didn’t lessen the impact at all, remaining just as shocking and uncomfortable as it did when I first found myself wowed by Inter Alia. After all, a good play should be about the journey to get there as much as the ending itself.

Miller’s writing is matched by the inspired direction of Justin Martin. Miriam Buether’s set design effortlessly transitions the stage from the courtroom to Jessica’s home to a series of outside locations, often with elements of each playing out simultaneously in a clever nod to how much Jessica is balancing everything. Martin’s direction plays up to this, showing Jessica wearing conflicting elements of clothing and blurring the lines between this rapid balancing act she has to do daily. The stage at the Wyndham’s is smaller than that of the Lyttelton where Inter Alia played last year, and that works in its favour. The tighter space allows for more intimacy, with the conflicting worlds almost feeling claustrophobic as they sit on top of each other, leading to an even tighter connection with the audience. A clever touch also sees elements of Jessica as a performer and almost a rock star with the repeated use of a microphone - sometimes, she handles this gracefully and, like the star she is, other times it eludes her, failing to behave and making her life even more difficult. It is a fantastic metaphor to a woman admirably trying to do it all, and not always balancing it as well as she would like to.

If Suzie Miller’s writing is worth the price of the ticket alone, so too is its star performance from Rosamund Pike. It is no wonder that Pike has been nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance in this play, and why, for my money, she should be the frontrunner to take it home. What Pike does in this play is nothing short of breathtaking, and the fact that she has had more time to bed herself into the character makes her Jessica Parks 2.0 all the more impressive than the already faultless portrayal last year. Never leaving the stage for the entirety of the play, it is a demanding role, and one that proves why Rosamund Pike is such a gifted and exceptional actor. Pike perfectly taps into every intricacy of the character, bringing a sense of authenticity to the role and creating an urgent and exhilarating characterisation. As the play roars towards its climax, Pike is at her best when suddenly the balancing act Jessica prides herself on becomes too difficult, and nigh on impossible. As the character attempts to come up with the perfect solution against the clock, every nuanced choice Pike makes is a sight to behold. Quite simply, what Rosamund Pike does in Inter Alia ranks among the greatest performances you will ever see on a West End stage. Completely outstanding, and a performance only an actor at the top of her game could deliver as sensationally as this.

Though much of Inter Alia is a one-woman show, with Pike alternating between different characters alongside her main one, she isn’t completely alone on stage. Jamie Glover takes on the role of Jessica’s husband, Michael, perfectly, knowing full well his place in her shadow in a play that aims to put the voice of the woman front and centre, never allowing it to be neglected. Her husband plays a role historically seen by women on stage in the same position, in a refreshing change, but still delivers a solid performance. Cormac McAlinden plays their son, Harry, in a character that slowly reveals different sides as the play progresses. What starts as a fairly innocent and young performance soon reveals different intricacies, though I daren’t spoil any of that in this review. What I can say is McAlinden more than holds his own when sharing the stage with a performer as outstanding as Pike, and the culminating scene with the two is as electric as live theatre gets.

After leaving the theatre for Inter Alia last year, I told anyone at any opportunity I had to go and see it for themselves. The play stayed in my thoughts and on my lips for the remainder of the year, and this return visit to its West End transfer just confirmed what a remarkable piece of theatre it is. Powerful and poignant, Inter Alia asks interesting questions and explores the subjects that arise thoroughly, offering different insights and challenging how we perceive issues as serious as the ones that form the heart of the play. What is already an impressive play is elevated to new heights through Suzie Miller’s awe-inspiring writing and Rosamund Pike’s unbelievably striking performance. The result is what I can only call the mother of all plays, and one that is deserving of a very long sentence in the West End.

Inter Alia plays at Wyndham’s Theatre until 20th June. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/inter-alia-tickets

Photos by Manuel Harlan