OLEANNA AT THE ARTS THEATRE
Review by Tia Byer
Oleanna is a hard-hitting showstopper of a play. Directed by Lucy Bailey and adapted from David Mamet’s 1992 play of the same name, Oleanna provides a raw and strikingly relevant depiction of the controversy surrounding sexual harassment and accusation. Set during a pre MeToo era, in this provocative dual actor production we see a seemingly innocuous conversation between student and professor unravel into a brutal struggle of power, control, and consent.
Staring Jonathan Slinger and Rosie Sheely, this play is a must-see. Slinger and Sheely’s potency was impressive; their dynamic unsettling. I was aghast at what I was bearing witness to. Taking place on a single stage set, a tired-looking professor’s office someone in New England, Oleanna follows a series of meetings between struggling and frustrated student Carol and distracted professor John. When John begins to relate to Carol’s feelings of incompetence, he promises to give her an A if she agrees to meet with him weekly to discuss the course material. But what intends to be a peace-offering, to compensate for his oversite as a teacher soon entangles John into a nightmare of miscommunication and accused sexual assault.
Oleanna plays with the slipperiness of language. What seems, from John’s perspective, to be an innocent paternal-like offering of support, from Carol’s perspective crosses a line. John’s decision to bend the rules because he “likes her”, for Carol is inappropriate and sleazy. Speech, communication, and the ever-ambiguous matter of intention are spun on their heads in this play. So too is the question of what constitutes excessive political correctness, and at what point it becomes a maleficent force.
But what is even more stirring about Lucy Bailey’s Oleanna is its ability to play with the audience. Never has sympathy presented such a crisis. My sympathy swung like a pendulum – back and forth and then back and forth again. The clever wardrobe choice also adds to the uncertainty. Following Carol’s accusation, which threatens to jeopardize John’s chance of Tenure and nearly destroy his life, we see the nervous, unsure misfit transform into a bold, and eloquent force of revenge. Gone are the baggy clothes and shrinking posture, in come the high-heels and poise. And gone too is the ability to trust one’s own perception of events.
An intelligent and brilliant depiction of use and abuse. The only challenge is you must figure exactly who inhabits and exploits each role. Dark, troubling, and deeply entertaining, Oleanna is as gripping as it is disturbing.
Oleanna will be showing at The Arts Theatre, Cambridge until the end of the week. The play will then tour Bath, Southampton and Malvern, before transferring to the West End’s Arts Theatre, London from 21 July to 23 October 2021.
