Review: STING, Young Vic Theatre

Photo credit: Helen Murray

Sting almost couldn’t come at a more poignant time. A play about a justice system that continuously lets down female abuse and violence victims premiered during the World Cup, when domestic violence rates go up across the country - no matter what happens on the pitch. That said, with cases of unsolved femicide constantly rising, it’d never be not the right time for this play. Writer Sophia Swithinbank tackles these issues with tact and accuracy, holding up a mirror to a justice system and asking: how much has really changed since women were burned at the stake for not fitting into a certain norm?

The opening scene is of Ash (Adelle Leonce), a recent Dr of Criminal Psychology, having possibly the worst first day at work ever. She’s been hired as Lily’s (Phoebe Ladenburg) archiving assistant, a role Lily can’t quite believe Ash successfully got, as she arrives on a come-down from the night prior. While setting up her computer login, she experiences a miscarriage, and Ladenburg’s portrayal of compassion mixed with alarm is incredibly effective. Throughout the 90 minutes, we were continuously blown away by Leonce’s performance of this whirlwind, scatty, impossible-to-predict character. But as time goes on, we learn that her larger-than-life personality is actually a hardened shell, protecting an incredibly saddened core. We meet Dom (Nick Blood).

Ash has (fairly) recently moved in with Dom, her boyfriend, who she tells Lily “pulled her up with a rope” from a previous bad relationship. There is an incredibly clever reveal about Dom’s line of work through a costume change, which weaves into the wider commentary of the failings of our justice system. In the programme, Swithinbank and director Nancy Medina write sharply about how important it was for them to question our legal systems through this piece: “It’s difficult to point out flaws in invisible structures, and systems don’t give us the space or bandwidth to get the help we need”. This is alluded to while Lily works on a case of three recent femicides that could be connected. These women have been reduced to names on a page when she starts to become concerned about someone in front of her: Ash.

We see these female characters grow closer, bonding over uncertain nights out, and we even start to suspect Dom’s (albeit homophobic) suspicion that there’s romance afoot. This all adds to the tragedy of Lily trying to help Ash, and the subsequent fallout. We went into the play expecting there to be more about the witch trials, which took place in the UK up until 1750. There were subtle comparisons of the trials with the way women are treated by the law today, but this really stepped into the spotlight, so to speak, towards the climax and denouement of the play. Let’s just say that realism gets blended with the supernatural in terms of animal attacks; something witches were believed to have the power to do.

Sting uses all the tools of theatre at its disposal incredibly effectively. There is a scene where a fire takes place, and we really did think “is something burning?” The simple, stripped back set doubles as an office and a flat effectively, and lighting and sound are used to create other effects like a running shower, a dance floor, and even a swarm of bees. The entire execution matched the impressiveness of the hard-hitting storytelling.

Sting is an “anti-police drama” which deals with all the brutality that comes with the territory. But somehow, you’ll leave with a cautionary feeling of hope: hope for systematic change, hope that future generations of women won’t suffer this way. That, no matter what, we will stick up for each other.

Sophia Swithinbanks’ play about female persecution from the age of witch trials till today blends poignant dialogue with a surprising amount of humour and - wait for it - dance.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Ruby Skippings

Sting plays at London’s Young Vic Theatre until 18 July, with further info here.