Review: The Womb (Arcola Theatre)

Review by Dan Sinclair

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been to the Arcola Theatre a few times now, and it’s only this time that I realised that there’s a co-op right next to the station, because for some reason it’s hidden up a set of stairs like a speakeasy with giant vinyl oranges and grapes stuck on a random window. Anyway. After a stint at the Camden People’s Theatre, Co Theatre transfer their experimental show, The Womb, to the Arcola Theatre, nestled slap bang in the middle of Dalston. 

Written by Aylin Rodoplu, The Womb is less of a narrative, more a collection of scenes. We open in a strange space, A (also played by writer Rodoplu) is thrown in with B (Tara McMillan) and C (Gabriela Mahé), where they question whether they are alive or dead? Are they even human? No, they are a woman. With a zippy script, we are taken through a series of vignettes exploring patriarchy, heteronormative family values, sex and the time that NASA sent a woman into space for six days with 100 tampons and asked her, ‘will that be enough?’

Directed by Elise Xiaqi Eriksen, The Womb boasts some tight moments of physical theatre, always supported by a rapid script from Rodoplu; it’s absolutely absurd and firmly has its foot on the gas. Moments are self contained and each explore a singular issue, particularly memorable is an extended scene where the three play at happy families, the roles of the husband, the wife and the son. Heightened in every sense, it’s disturbing but hilarious in that deeply uncomfortable way, leaving you squirming in your seat (something that comes quite easily with the foldy chairs in the downstairs studio at the Arcola.) 

Lighting design by Shawn Lo is oppressive, aided by the apocalyptic bunker atmosphere of the Arcola Theatre Studio 2 (said with nothing but love; I adore that space, and so should you). It opens a deep red, it takes over the whole room and then whips us into the play with a snap to white. It’s glaring, stark, and some cleverly placed LEDs create the space on the floor. I found myself a bit disappointed by the sound design, with some flickers of the techno-atmospheric beats promised, it was few and far between, and never quite matched the impressive intensity of the lighting. Crank that bass up.

The Womb, absurd and abstract, deals in ideas and noise, the effect of the play being a general feeling of unease and anxiety as opposed to a direct message and a strict narrative. But I found myself thinking, is dealing purely in the absurd a luxury? The seismic Maryland by Lucy Kirkwood dealt with these same fears, and whilst also absurd in its tone, it importantly had a narrative, a story and a figure - Mary - to follow and invest in. And upon Mary, it hung extraordinary social and political heft. With material as absurd and deliberately nonsensical as The Womb, it pushes you away more than it draws you in. Rhinoceros by Ionesco (staged earlier this year at the Almeida) is another great example, absurd, but it gives you something to grab onto. The Womb often felt like a series of scenes, sketches to hang onto a flagpole - which ultimately left me wanting much more. 

Whilst undeniably important and affecting, I found The Womb tended to float around the outside of issues and ideas that have been discussed before, without ever probing into them. Is it enough to simply point at the idea of patriarchy in families and then move on? I often wonder what the best style of theatre for our current time is, what is best to deal with the societal, cultural and political struggles that we face - as if theatre is not to discuss, confront and solve these struggles, then what is it for? When our world is becoming increasingly scary, is directness more urgent than ever? Or perhaps if this approach has not worked, as it could be easily argued (ie, see the entire history of the world), then absurdism and work such as The Womb is an answer. It’s definitely still worth a watch to find out. Support new work. Full stop.

The Womb is playing at the Arcola Theatre until August 30th. 

Tickets from: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/thewomb/