Unspoken
WAC Arts, Hampstead
9th and 13th August
Unspoken is mostly set in a small 1989 apartment, two young men study a species of large blue butterfly that survives by destroying ant colonies. As they observe this quiet cruelty of nature, their own repressed desires begin to transform, leading them toward difficult choices.
Mark, after the death of his friend, is caught up in a seven-day internal struggle, confronting grief, silence, and his own truth. The movement between reality and dream takes the viewer inside his psyche. The question is: which is more devastating: silence or truth?
This is far more than just another gay play – it is about being able to communicate openly with those who mean the most to us and the tragedies that ensue when we fail to do so because we feel we will hurt those closest to us if we actually speak the truth whereas in fact we are mainly hurting ourselves by staying silent.
This is a well written play that will stay with audiences for a long time after they have seen it.
Unfortunately, at the performance I saw, it was obvious that the company had not sufficiently rehearsed the play in situ as the very efficient air con system drowned out most of what three members of the cast had to say for most of the time – this very much hampering the enjoyment of the play. Also, the light show at the start of the performance didn’t really work effectively. Hopefully, once these problems has been solved, the experience of watching Unspoken will become any even more powerful experience.
⭐⭐
Reviewer: Mike Linane
Photo: Cameraman I.S