The sorrow and grief of the Ukraine war flies to the London stage in this one-woman show recounting the experiences of those who never left their homes. Guillermo Nazara shares his thoughts on this play presented as part of this year’s Camden Fringe, to let us know more on a play that haunts on the haunting.
“Guilt is the source of sorrows, the avenging fiend that follows us behind with whips and stings”. And the saddest part is that those who least deserve it are usually the ones who experience it the most. As Russia’s invasion carries on its harrowing trail of abuse, the Western world has looked upon the Ukrainian plight with eyes of sympathy and concern. The theatre community hasn’t been oblivious to their cause either – with hundreds of gestures being made as an homage to this unserved justice. But not that often do we get to see a piece who’s primary focus stems from this theme – let alone written and performed by someone who, regardless of the distance, continuous to live its everyday horrors first-hand.
in|Secure is the story of a woman. A woman who is all people. Every person who fights. Every person who suffers. Every person who’s left behind. And every person who’s been imprisoned by a conflict they never started, but that now has become their only reason to carry on – or on the contrary, to finish… Based on the real statements of friends and relatives, author Valery Reva brings out the heartbreaking testimonies of one single story seen from a thousand perspectives: the clashing feelings of a gay soldier who’s love for his country is not enough to gain the respect of his homophobic peers, the ongoing struggles of those mothers whose children have become a privilege they may never be granted again, and the never-ending sentiment of sorrow for having the luck to escape the greatest of terrors.
Parting from an interesting (and praiseworthy) premise, the elements of the play seem, nonetheless, too disperse. Combining stand-up comedy with audience interactions and later moving to a more traditional narrative, the different pieces of its structure fail to assemble as a whole. Instead, they grind on every transition while prompting a sensation of incohesiveness, never really making clear what the style of the work actually is. Reva does give a most compelling rendition, but the lack of consistency prevents the audience from developing any firm connections, as the recount jumps too quickly (and abruptly) before we even get to care about the characters, tales and situations we are presented with.
Stemming from the unparalleled roughness of personal honesty, in|Secure has been born with the skills to make a move and to make us feel moved. However, it still needs to bloom to let its true light shine through. The eclectic approach is acceptable and could even be a wise choice, but the use of its contents needs to be revised to let it function as a single show on its own. Instead of building too many bridges to the same subject, find the core of what you’re trying to tell. It will be then that its message will branch out to the hearts of people.
in|Secure was performed last week as part of the Camden Fringe Festival. Further shows and tickets are available on the following link.