Culture Writer Alice Poole reviews Shed: Exploded View, praising the show’s exploration of a difficult subject but critiquing its over-complexity
Trigger Warnings for Shed include: Exploded View – domestic abuse (including psychological, physical, sexual, and verbal)
Shed: Exploded View, written by Phoebe Eclair-Powell, is marked by fractured narratives, fractured dialogue, and fractured relationships. In this way, it captures the essence of the artwork which inspired the production – Cornelia Parker’s 1991 piece, Cold Dark Matter: Exploded View, which features a shed blown up by the British Army. Directed by Atri Banerjee and performed at The Royal Exchange Theatre, the play’s integration of verbal countdowns and a screen indicating the year, which continuously jumps from past to present, creates a striking parallel to the disorienting experience of a bomb detonation.
The play explores relationships with abusive dynamics, examining the various forms abuse can take, primarily physical, verbal, sexual, and psychological. The narrative unfolds through three couples: Lil (Hayley Carmichael) and Tony (Wil Johnson), an elderly pair with multiple marriages behind them; Abi (Norah Lopez Holden) and Mark (Michael Workéyè), university students who met at a house party; and Abi’s parents, the intergenerational couple Naomi (Lizzy Watts) and Frank (Jason Hughes). Through each well-acted dynamic, the play vividly illustrates how domestic violence can permeate relationships spanning generations, unravelling the disturbing spirals of such behaviour. Eclair-Powell delves into the manifestations of violence both in language and in action.
Eclair-Powell’s play is characterised by fragmentation
Like Parker’s shattered shed, Eclair-Powell’s play is characterised by fragmentation, both in chronology and dialogue. The narrative jumps around 30 years, consistently returning to Naomi’s present-day obsessive construction of the garden shed. Whilst this allows each scene to exist independently and capture how these particular moments can hold such personal weight, it sometimes creates a convoluted disjoining between scenes.
Reflecting this narrative structure, the dialogue is presented in fragments, offering snippets of conversations that mirror and overlap. While this is carefully executed, leading to impactful moments highlighting parallels between relationships and the descent into abuse, it does sometimes become a challenge to follow. The interweaved monologues provide a refreshing pause from this confusion and allow needed engagement with individual characters and their development.
Naomi Naomi Dawson’s set, particularly the prominently positioned shed at the centre of the stage, is effective in amplifying the overall narrative
Eclair-Powell’s desire for complex verbal exchanges and non-naturalistic conversation occasionally means she prioritises complexity over character, which does leave some development to be desired, particularly in Naomi and Frank’s relationship. Similarly to the other two couples, their relationship illustrates a pattern of abuse, with the husband acting as the aggressor towards his wife. There is evident merit in featuring three relationships to show the significance and complexity of the issue, and to illustrate its diverse manifestations across generations. However, in this production, the dynamic between Naomi and Frank does not have the distinctive foundational background given to the other couples. As a result, it seems like an almost formulaic addition, only there to develop the stories of the surrounding relationships.
Designer Naomi Dawson’s set, particularly the prominently positioned shed at the centre of the stage, is effective in amplifying the overall narrative. The conspicuous shed structure is deconstructed by the actors during the performance, until all that is left is a skeletal frame and a large circular light. The following elevation of this structure is particularly effective, as it is lifted to loom over the actors throughout the production, building anticipation for its inevitable descent. The stage itself features three revolving rings on which actors use chalk to inscribe key phrases from the scenes. These notations, primarily on the outermost ring, metaphorically trap and enclose the character speaking within harmful words and haunting memories of their past.
Holden and Watts are particularly skilful in their performances
After Eclair-Powell won the 2019 Bruntwood Prize for the script of Shed: Exploded View, there were considerable expectations on the creative team preparing for the premiere of this production. Despite the occasional challenge of the convoluted, jumpy fragmentation, I feel that, overall, these expectations are met. The set of revolving rings and participatory deconstructed shed are a standout for me. Addressing a serious subject matter with the required tact and unflinching seriousness, the play leaves a lasting impact. Holden and Watts are particularly skilful in their performances. Shed: Exploded View stands as a powerful testament to Eclair-Powell’s prowess in tackling poignant narratives.
Rating: 4/5
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