Bindweed

Arcola Theatre, 14/07/24

Credit: Will Green

Final rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Having never been to (or really heard of) the Arcola Theatre before, Bindweed was a simply fantastic show to introduce me to the space. It is a complex, emotional portrayal of male domestic abuse, told in a darkly comic fashion that genuinely had me laughing out loud. Not really two things that should go together. But it works.

The script – oh the script… it is amazing. The writing is just spectacular – every bit of dialogue is so naturally carved out, it truly makes you forget you’re watching something at the theatre. At 1hr40 straight through, I was a bit concerned whether I’d start to get a bit irritable – but the time truly flew by as I got caught up in the story.

Jen (Laura Hanna) leads a group therapy session with four men who have all committed domestic abuse. She comes alive in the role as the emotional vulnerabilities of dealing with the men takes its toll on her. I loved how the play opened: Brian, a charming and endearing gentlemen talking to us about how he met his wife at work, and how they laughed at not being able to use the coffee machine. And then in almost the same sentence, he chuckles his way through telling us he smashed his wife’s head in on the kitchen island. It’s quite brutal, and the audience’s laughter quickly shifts into stunned silence. Then there’s Mike (Simon Darwen) who is more of the conventional emotionally repressed ‘man’ of the group, picking fights at every opportunity. He makes outlandish comments that you can’t help but laugh at. Charlie (Shailan Gohil) is almost sweet – wanting to change his learned behaviour from the unfortunate upbringing his family gave him. And then there’s the more devastatingly understated character of Frank (Moray Treadwell) – a vicar who’s actually been hitting his wife for forty years. Every character is so clearly defined and is so very believable, you can’t help but keep on watching.

More is revealed about the men, their pasts, and their flaws – as Jen desperately tries to make some progress. We also see elements of her own personal life – going on a date with the clichè slimy estate agent Peter (also Shailan Gohil) – featuring a simply terrific scene at a bowling alley with such clever choreography and direction from Jennifer Tang. This plotline was ever so slightly on the predictable groan side – but it didn’t really detract from the main action taking place. The sound design by Jasmin Kent Rodgman was also spot on – blending moments of tense underscores with stress-relieving ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke (who himself was accused of domestic violence back in 2017, which he denies).

I really can’t get over how blown away I was at this production. The ending was moving, and the action was almost scary at times, with the actors smashing up chairs or returning from a brutal and bloody crime scene. I have nothing but praise for Bindweed – and I really enjoyed the intimate staging of it in thrust.

Josie Brightwell also brought her three characters to life – with a particularly hard-to-watch moment as the ex-wife of Brian – intruding on the group therapy and accusing Jen of being a traitor.

The darkly comic script hit the nail on the head – while commanding the audience to take the issue of domestic abuse into their hearts and do something about it. A seriously good show that I hope makes a return to the stage soon.