Jessica Clarke delivers an outstanding performance in Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott. Clarke plays Effie, a self-described “slag” who you would probably avoid if you passed her in the street. Effie opens the play by telling the audience that they are in her debt before embarking on her life story. The mystery of what this means hovers in the background throughout.
Owen’s script combines monologues and dialogue between the various characters in Effie’s life – this is all delivered by Clarke in a solo performance. The writing brilliantly transports us into Effie’s world, visualising in graphic detail the key events in her life from the comic to the tragic.
Clarke’s delivery makes it easy for the audience to picture what is happening, while also developing an intimate connection with Effie.
Effie’s central dilemma is the need to be ‘not alone’. She goes out and drinks herself into a multi-day hangover. This allows her to wipe out chunks of the week from her life, before starting the process again. This avoidance of the realities of everyday existence gives structure to her life, but it lacks true connection.
Even though she is in a relationship, she doesn’t feel the bond that she needs. That is until she has a chance encounter in a pub. This meeting gives her the opportunity to no longer be alone, but it also starts her down a road that will lead to her facing tough decisions in a society that does not provide for the underprivileged.
Owen’s play rages against injustice stemming from government funding decisions that hurt the vulnerable the most. As this starts to impact Effie’s life, the audience empathises with her and against the unfairness that she faces, eventually ending in a pay-off over the debt the audience owes to Effie.
The staging is a simple box set with only a few pieces of furniture, a bag and a bottle of Gatorade. This effectively conveys a feeling of deprivation. Gary Abrahams’ direction moves the story along at a rapid pace and allows the focus to be entirely on Clarke’s mesmerising performance.
The title is a source of frustration. While a link can be made between Effie’s story and the Greek myth of Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia, it is a stretch, and is ultimately distracting from the story on stage. It also doesn’t fit with Effie’s character to be associated with mythology. Another problem is that believing in Effie’s most pivotal decisions requires a leap of faith by the audience.
Read: Theatre review: Mother, Arts Centre Melbourne
Iphigenia in Splott is a powerful critique of how society looks down upon and fails the marginalised. Perhaps audiences should ignore the title upon arrival and simply be absorbed into Effie’s world. Clarke’s performance is one of the best you will see onstage this year. If you love theatre, this is a must-see production.
Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen
Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre
Director: Gary Abrahams
Set and Costume Design: Jacob Battista and Sophie Woodward
Lighting Design: Rachel Burke
Composition and Sound Design: Daniel Nixon
Dialect Coach: Matt Furlani
Assistant Lighting Design: Spencer Herd
Stage Manager: Natasha Marich
Cast: Jessica Clarke
Tickets: $20-$69
Iphigenia in Splott will be performed until 22 September 2024.
