Review: Machinal at The Old Vic
The glorious return of the almost century-old play is just as striking as ever
Amidst a thriving season of classic favourites and bold new musicals, the historical producing powerhouse rarely has gaps in its busy programming; but once again, The Old Vic has outdone themselves in a modern reimagining of the 1928 American play Machinal, transferring from the Theatre Royal Bath production last year at its Ustinov Studio.
Reviving a play written almost 100 years ago is always a new challenge for creatives and actors alike, but this interpretation of Sophie Treadwell's expressionistic piece certainly rose to the challenge, making the story of a doomed female stenographer utterly compelling all within the space of just under 120 minutes.
Drawing inspiration from a true execution story of murderer Ruth Snyder which has seen unprecedented societal reaction, the play starts with a movie-style opening sequence set in a fast paced office; a young woman is late again to the office, but it soon becomes clear that everything her working life and everything expected of her including, marrying her own (somewhat manipulative) boss, gradually pushes her to the verge of insanity. This subsequently catalyses an unplanned act of infidelity out of frustration and later, the infamous ‘ruthless’ execution marking the end of the woman’s life.
Remarkably, despite most characters referred to as Mr/Mrs initial, letter of the alphabet, our distressed protagonist is intentionally unnamed, neither by the playwright's point of view nor by her interaction with other characters, just one of the many impressive writing techniques on glorious display. Leading the mighty company of sixteen actors, many of whom multi roles in the ensemble, is Rosie Sheehy as the aforementioned Young Woman. The incomparable enunciation integrated into a gradual building of tension is a performance like no other, breaking into the hustle and bustle with an impressive monologue set against forceful choreography-like movement, a defining feature encored to audible gasps throughout.
But what follows, credit to Richard Jones’ directorial genius, is a series of highly contrasting scenes signposted by typewriter-style title cards replaced by cast members during each scene change. In one scene an unexpectedly lengthy sequence on intimacy catches the audience off guard (which in some ways felt like an abrupt halt to the accelerating story but is not much of an issue), and in another a shocking court case keeps one on the edge of their seat, revealing some of the darkest truths on social class and gender hierarchy at the time.
All of the above, never had this aspect been pushed more front and centre, is powered by Adam Silverman's striking lighting design. Within a shrunken version of the normal Old Vic stage - Hyemi Shin's clever claustrophobic metaphor for Young Woman's confinement to her life, Silverman skilfully snaps in and out between reality and voices in the head, as well as elevating some of the most intense scenes to the next level; Benjamin Grant's soundscapes equally deserve a shout-out too, immersing the audience in the minds of each character as things slowly get out of control.
If this cannot convince one to beg, borrow or steal a ticket to witness Treadwell’s riveting masterclass in storytelling live, I don’t know what will. Pulsating with ever-augmenting momentum in one single act, Machinal is the description of a tour de force - something not to be missed.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (4*)
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the venue. All views are my own, without any input or approval from the venue or producers. Standard tickets are available from £13 on the Old Vic Theatre website, with over 500 tickets released at the start of each production under the PwC £10 Previews scheme.
♾️Some lighting effects in this show are among the most intense of plays, with some periodic loud sound effects throughout. There is a sudden full auditorium blackout lasting for 2 minutes around 1 hour into the show, as well as periodic strobe lights and bright lighting on the stalls during ‘The Law’ scene around 1 hour 20 minutes in.