PARLOUR SONG
GOLDEN GOOSE THEATRE, LONDON, NOVEMBER 2024
SET, COSTUME, AND VIDEO DESIGNER
WRITTEN BY JEZ BUTTERWORTH
DIRECTED BY BEN GRAFTON
PRODUCED BY DRAMA IMPACT
SET & COSTUME DESIGN BY GULFEM OZDOGAN
VIDEO DESIGN BY GULFEM OZDOGAN
SOUND & LIGHT DESIGN BY JAMES MICHAEL MALTBY
PERFORMED BY PAUL BOICHAT, DAVID HOUSTON,
JO NEVIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES MICHAEL MALTBY
PARLOUR SONG EXPLORES THE SEEMINGLY PERFECT SUBURBAN LIFE OF NED, A DEMOLITION EXPERT, AND HIS WIFE, JOY. WHILE NED STRUGGLES WITH INSOMNIA AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES, THEIR LIFE APPEARS FLAWLESS FROM THE OUTSIDE. BUT WHY DOES JOY DECIDE TO HAVE AN AFFAIR WITH THEIR NEIGHBOR, DALE? THE PLAY HUMOROUSLY EXAMINES THE HIDDEN CRACKS BEHIND A PICTURE-PERFECT MARRIAGE.
IN THE DESIGN CONCEPT, THE FOCUS SHIFTS FROM THE TWO MALE CHARACTERS TO JOY’S INNER WORLD. WHAT DRIVES A WOMAN TO BETRAY A LOVING HUSBAND? COULD IT BE THE FEELING OF ENTRAPMENT AND THE ARTIFICIAL PERFECTION IMPOSED BY HER HOME?
THIS SENSE OF ARTIFICIALITY PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE DESIGN APPROACH. TO VISUALLY REPRESENT THE IMAGINED IDEAL OF A PERFECT LIFE, A VIRTUAL WORLD IS INCORPORATED ON SCREEN, WHILE THE HOUSE’S INTERIOR, CAR, AND SHOPPING CENTER ARE DESIGNED AS MODULAR STRUCTURES REMINISCENT OF GEOMETRIC SHAPES. HOW DOES THIS CONTRAST BETWEEN THE VIRTUAL IDEAL AND THE CONFINED REALITY REFLECT JOY’S EMOTIONAL STATE?
