The National Theatre of Scotland deliver a hard-hitting, political satire to the Traverse this year for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Exodus mimics the contradiction and cover-ups within the UK parliament. The satire when used subtly is very effective. The humour of the performance comes through in the exaggeration which may at times take away from the point of the piece. However, as a reflection of politics now and over the last few years, nothing is off limits when it comes to portraying the farcical behaviour of the UK government.
How far will a politician go? Bold, satirical and uncomfortably funny, Exodus explores systematic deception and the indifference to human suffering. In her bid to become the country’s leader, Home Secretary Asiya Rao prepares to make a major policy announcement that will establish her as the front-runner of the political race. Alongside her cut-throat and calculating advisor Phoebe, she embarks on a publicity stunt starting with a photo shoot by the white cliffs of Dover. But rather than the tide washing her reputation clean, something else washes up…
An omen or an opportunity? The women are determined to keep their eyes on the prize, no matter the cost, even if it’s a human one. Written by Uma Nada-Rajah. Directed by Debbie Hannan.
The writing of this performance was powerful. It sent a lighter hearted tone to what is a very hard hitting prevalent topic in today’s society. Each character served a prominent purpose, highlighting the hypocrisy. Asiya forced the question of a woman’s role in parliament and how a nurturing nature can coexist alongside such harsh legislations. An importance piece of work that should be read by the masses.
The direction of this piece by Debbie Hannan was particularly clever. Although it was using techniques that have been used in many productions it felt very modernistic. It was relatively minimalistic which added to the genre of political satire. I thoroughly enjoyed the use of the set to divide the train. Especially the use of the projector as a train window and the live camera feed on stage which always adds multimedia to the ephemerality of live theatre.
Aryana Ramkhalawon as Asyia played a familiar character. She did well in distinguishing when to turn her political press masquerade off/on. At the beginning she seemed slightly nervous at the performance I had seen, however relaxed into the role as the production continued. Her tone of voice during her addressing the public had intonations that created a robotic-like delivery which was key in authenticating her role.
Anna Russell-Martin played a very relatable and naturalistic Tobi. Anna brought home the realism in her role with her portrayed eagerness and nervousness as a young journalist. Her body language heighted as she fought to seek the truth behind Asyia. As the play developed she did well to portray the darkness of being manipulated, using vulnerability to see how quickly the truth can be hidden for personal gain.
Habiba Saleh as Haben had such a vast range within this production. From an eager actress to ‘auntie’ Habiba was able to showcase her talents. Her character played such a vital role in strengthening the impact of the play on the audience and Habiba’s character development throughout the play took us on that journey.
Sophie Steer is an actress to keep your eye out for. Her performance as Pheobe was outstanding. Sophie’s dedication to the character is what stood out for me, even during a slight technical difficulty she humoured the audience by reacting in character. The character is fully rounded and the delivery of each line is perfect. This type of character is familiar and Sophie’s portrayal was utterly believable even through some of the most exaggerated scenarios. A true master of her craft.
Operation Womb within the last fifteen minutes of the performance feels like a world not so far from the one we know at this present moment, it was harrowing. This production highlighted the negligence of the government and its need to completely dehumanise illegal immigrants in order to evict and deport them. The end video montage was evocative, it made you look at the realities of this situation. In a political and economical climate where most are one paycheck away from needing more support than ever, with a government who are so clearly ignorant that they will let us struggle. This production highlights why we must come together to protect and support each other as humans.
‘Exodus’ is playing the Traverse Theatre until 28th August.
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