Gods Are Fallen and All Safety Gone is a gentle exploration of a mother and daughter relationship, played with deftness and tact by Sean Campion (Mother) and Scott Turnbull (Daughter). The gender reversed casting, a strong decision by writer/director Selma Dimitrijevic, is the reason many people would be attracted to this show, by its unconventional nature. Yet it is not a gimmick: in fact it is a thought-provoking window through which to examine the maternal bond.
The majority of the play is a pattering duologue. The Mother and Daughter move around the space, weaving in and out of each other. This movement gives an uplifting energy to the continual chat of two very close women. Because Campion and Turnbull steer clear of trying to act as naturalistic women, any chance of strained stereotypes is thankfully dashed. A lot of their inflection seems to come from their travelling, creating a nice synergy between movement, text and space.
Campion’s portrayal of Mother is sensitive, and has enough pleasing nods to ‘mother’ eccentricities to bring a smile to any child’s face. The development of this character in relation to her daughter does seem to plateau around three quarters of the way in, along with the action of the play. A deeper reaction to seeing her child in pain perhaps could raise this latter part. Turnbull’s simplistic interpretation of the Daughter is very pleasant and believable, and he carries the dark reveal of the play with gusto, again avoiding stereotype and instead relying on the poignancy of the text and his own flowing emotions.
The overall feel of the piece is that of one on the brink of completion. The set is very bare, and asks for something a little more. The transitions where the daughter changes her top come across slightly bluntly as a tool to change scenes; there are layers of meaning hinted at, such as passing time and some relation between women and clothing, but it isn’t evident enough. It also seems that the audience catch on to the reveal of the play much sooner than anticipated, which leaves a bit of cold discussion towards the end. Nonetheless, Gods Are Fallen and All Safety Gone has something special about it, and in time the over-arching message could shine through even brighter.
Also of note are two women sat stage left working on a jigsaw puzzle together. I understand these are a real mother and daughter. They become part of the set, something to enhance the male actors’ performances. They are almost forgotten at times and yet, in darker moments or particularly funny ones, I couldn’t help but look to see how they reacted. Their presence almost feels like permission from mothers and daughters to have their relationship and secrets spilled out across the stage – a surprisingly intriguing device.
Gods are Fallen and All Safety Gone plays at Camden Peoples Theatre until 31 May. For more information and tickets, visit the Camden People’s Theatre website.