 |
Bogus Woman Queens Theatre Sun 26 Feb 'The Bogus Woman' is a totally captivating piece of theatre. Actor Sarah Niles deftly and energetically shuffles between a rather extensive array of characters that revolve around and include a particular nameless woman who has, in arriving at Heathrow airport with a phoney passport, been attempting to escape political persecution in her unnamed African country of origin. The immigration authorities are characteristically sceptical and have her incarcerated in the United Kingdom's notorious refugee detention centre, Campsfield House, where she is maltreated. Even when partial freedom from those particular authorities is found, she finds many other facets of English society prepared to take their oppressive place. The script at its core entails very strong accusations and criticisms of institutional violence in relation to asylum seekers, not only in Britain but in all the many prosperous countries that are ambivalent about immigration, and hence is salient to Australia. The crux of the criticism is fairly simple, being that many such immigration systems, whilst providing a certain amount of security, operate in a manner contrary to human rights. But the convincingness and apparent truth of Sarah Niles' performance drives and articulates the message with such force and persuasiveness that the point made actually seems original, and this is a feat worthy of recognition. Complemented by pleasingly discrete technical features, including some wonderfully evocative but simple lighting design, 'The Bogus Woman' perfectly achieves what it sets out to accomplish.  |
|
The latest issue available now!     |
All content copyright dB Magazine