Lorna Irvine reviews Jenna Watt's performance statement about violence.
There can't be many shows that feature a performer who positively insists that you lob tomatoes her way in order to hit her in the face. This is no kinky request or an appraisal of her work but rather a test of human resilience in the face of an attack: each tomato represents a punch. There are six tomatoes, and six audience members are randomly selected.
Three years ago, writer/performer Jenna Watt's friend Jeremy was severely assaulted and mugged in a busy London street. A crowd watched, and nobody had the guts to intervene. This lack of action is called 'the bystander effect'. Watt's piece explores the many reasons why people fail to get involved, from simple fear to worrying about the attacker turning on them or their friends and family.
Jeremy himself is symbolised by a toy giraffe—Watt did not want to choose a clichéd animal such as a wolf or lion, and it is important we feel his presence. Her autobiographical monologue is interspersed with a simple PowerPoint presentation showing maps of where she wandered by herself ('flaner' is French for 'to roam around') and contrasting the happy spaces with where she and her friends were chased and attacked; all which is underpinned by testimonies of those who have suffered random violence and a policeman who deals with this on a regular basis.
Flaneurs will make you wince and feel vulnerable: it is uncomfortable to hear but also pertinent, a call to reclaim the streets. Watt is petite, amiable and eloquent, but while her performance is fine and humane it lacks a little edge. More psychology from the policeman would be welcome. The 'blood' doesn't look bloody enough. Further details on Jeremy, merely alluded to, would put his attack into context.
Questions of ethics also arise: is Jeremy real? If so, how did he feel about his friend building a show around his own personal trauma? Do any of the proceeds from this piece go to Victim Support? At least this provokes a debate.
As for me, I was picked to throw a tomato. Lucky I'm a lousy shot. She's so tiny and I felt awful. Of course nobody intervenes, thus proving her point. We should all do something instead of just observing passively. It could be any one of us next.
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