Review of "Ciphers" by Dawn King, directed by Blanche McIntyre
Northcott Theatre, Exeter, 16 October 2013
A woman named Justine has a job interview with an unidentified organization. It takes us a while to work out what this organization does. She then has an interview with another unidentified organization.
Or is it her? She's now called Julya and has a completely different biography. And wait, which interview happened first? We soon learn that scenes are not sequential. She then appears to be investigating how Justine died. No, different woman: her name is Keri and she's Justine's sister.
In Dawn King's second play "Ciphers", directed by 2013 UK Theatre Awards Best Director nominee Blanche McIntyre, the audience has to work hard throughout, though the clues are all there.
A large component of what we have to work out is the stuff of Le Carré, Fleming, Christie & even Spooks. But another component of the decoding is to do with the decision to double up all the parts. Is this the same woman as earlier playing a role, or the actress playing a different part? I'd be really curious as to whether the playwright and director intended us to be concerned with the latter question. In a play focused on identity, this decision caused a distancing effect that I'm not sure I found enhanced the drama.
That said then, all credit to the actors and director for keeping us engaged. The spectres (as it were) of Smiley, Bond, Harry Pearce et al. are easily banished. If on opening night the actors lacked in places the confidence to inhabit their characters completely convincingly, they are a talented troupe and this confidence will quickly come. The minimalist set design is clever, and nicely suits a theatre of the Northcott's size. The use of sound is nicely judged, and the direction is assured.
The script also has a few subtle tricks up its sleeve. I confess when the final applause began I had not worked out what exactly had happened. Or rather, I had worked out a simple narrative that fitted the facts, albeit in an unsatisfyingly "so what?" kind of way. It was only when talking it over, walking home, that I suddenly realized I had missed the true significance of the two final scenes. Various red herrings, loose ends, odd comments, and unconnected events were nothing of the sort: The pieces of Justine's life and death fitted together neatly after all.
So - a puzzle solved satisfyingly (unless there are alternative narratives I've missed!) - but does this ultimately make a satisfying play? Do we learn anything about human nature beyond that being in the spying game can do weird things to your moral compass? Are we moved by the characters?
I'm not sure. But the question of Justine's motivations are at the heart of what makes the play worth seeing: at various times, she gives diverse reasons why she is doing the job she is doing, as if she is desperate to rise above being just a pawn in a great game. Yet if ultimately she turns out to be a sacrificed pawn, do her motives and legacy have to remain forever unknown? Justine might not be a cipher; but is she an enigma?
Ciphers is on at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter until Oct 19 and tours until Feb 15. www.outofjoint.co.uk
Acknowledgement: I'm grateful to the Northcott Theatre for supplying my tickets to the play.
Update 3 Nov 2013: The professional critics have now done their thing. See Michael Billington's 4-star review in The Guardian and slightly less glowing reviews in The Times, The Mail, The Stage and What's On Stage. There seem to be divergent views about the strengths and weaknesses of the play.
