Written and
performed by Laura Jackson
Directed by
Janys Hayes
Reviewed by
Simone Penkethman
Handle It is a gutsy and engaging piece of theatre that sets
out to tell the story of a young woman whose life is turned upside down when
compromising pictures of her are posted on Facebook. The subject matter is sensitive and topical
and the show provokes thought and conversation. The story unfolds as a series of monologues
delivered by one performer as seven different characters; the last to appear is
the victim herself.
Jackson is a brave and committed performer who identifies as a feminist. Her portrayal of the main male character was balanced
and believable. Less
believable were some of the female characters; two of which well and truly
crossed the line into caricature. A
character described in the program notes as a Pro Internet Sexologist was quite
extraneous to the plot and served only as a mouthpiece for ideas about the
politics of pornography.
During Jackson's lightning quick changes between characters,
social media feeds were projected on stage.
The projections allowed us to eavesdrop on personal messages and
newsfeeds of peripheral characters, and to watch the all-too-believable viral
spread of the compromising photos.
Handle It is a play of ideas and, as the plot thickened,
more themes were introduced. While topical,
emotionally charged and dramatic, later developments steered the plot away from its original
premise. The circulating of the compromising
pictures became secondary to the play's climax and as a result lacked satisfying
exploration and resolution.
Jackson is a young writer and performer with passion,
conviction and skill. The production was
of a high quality in design and execution. There are enough ideas in Handle It for two
plays and I look forward to seeing more of Jackson's work as she refines her
craft.
