Theatre / LGBTQ+
Review: You’ve Gone Quiet, Alma Tavern & Theatre – ‘Funny, provocative and unexpectedly moving’
Tara wants a baby – badly. She and her partner Ian have had their allotted rounds of infertility treatment on the NHS and can’t afford any more. So she turns to her best friend Beth, a pre-op trans woman. A turkey baster is produced and Tara becomes pregnant.
Beth fails to tell her boyfriend Rory about it; however, she does mention it to the whole world via an article she has written, which has been grabbed by fellow journalist and trans woman Samantha and made into the scoop of the century. Suddenly, every man, woman and their dog has an opinion on this turn of events, and before we know it the word ‘rape’ is being bandied about.
And so, a story that begins with a seemingly kindly act from one friend to another becomes a rollercoaster ride through cutting-edge gender and sexual politics. Most of the action is viewed through Beth’s eyes, as the characters address the audience in second person, giving us a unique take on what it must mean to be in her position, everyone wanting a piece of her for their own reasons.
The pace never lets up. Rory (Matt Vickery) rails at his former girlfriend, his rage fuelled by his own sense of shame and inadequacy. His brother Gaz (Oliver Redpath) initially comes across as a lovable dolt, but his character carries more emotional depth and tenderness than we might expect.
Poor, hapless Tara (Gennifer Becouarn) reunites with the unreconstructed Ian (Matt Roberts) and is headed for a life of domestic misery in Wales with screaming baby in tow, until the scheming Samantha (Sophia Vi), shoves her and Beth (now appearing as a character, played superbly by Shane Convery) into an interview situation, prompting an unexpected reconciliation.
The emotional depth of the piece is leavened by humour, much of it dark, awkward and painfully recognisable. Writer Cerys Duffy has a sharp ear for the absurdities that arise whenever private lives become public property. The script never loses sight of the fact that behind every headline and ideological battle, there are people simply trying to muddle through impossible situations.
Most impressive is the play’s refusal to provide easy answers. The questions it raises about consent, parenthood, identity and ownership of personal stories are deliberately knotty. Characters who initially appear sympathetic reveal flaws. Those who seem objectionable occasionally expose unexpected vulnerability. Even Samantha, who functions as the story’s chief agitator, is driven by motives that are more complicated than simple opportunism.
Perhaps most unexpected is the sweetness of what might be considered a conventional ending. True, everything is tied up a bow that may just be a little too neat, but actually the conventionality works well against the weight of the play’s unconventional themes. Funny, provocative and unexpectedly moving, You’ve Gone Quiet leaves its audience with plenty to argue about long after the curtain falls.
You’ve Gone Quiet is at the Alma Tavern & Theatre on June 8-10 at 8pm. Tickets are available at tickettailor.com.
All photos: Paul Macauley
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