In Suzie Miller’s play From the opening salvo of rapidly delivered background information Ms Comer rarely has time to draw breath as she takes us on a journey from underprivileged childhood, through education and studying for the bar, on to entering chambers and her regular annihilation of her prey as defendants succumb to her questioning on the stand. During these forays into her past, she extracts optimum humour as she recounts events. Then suddenly the grotesque deed is upon us and we experience moment by moment the horrifying rape she endured with all of its bitter sadness and disappointment at the man for whom she was developing feelings, her shock that he would harm and abuse her in this way and ultimately revulsion for the person he must be in reality beneath the charming veneer.
The uncomfortable question the play really poses is whether or not sexual assault is realistically an unlawful act given the small number of prosecutions and incredibly low rates of conviction achieved by our current legal system? Do the courtroom shenanigans played-out between prosecution and defence teams do a disservice to both parties given the requirement to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the offence occurred? In many such cases – especially those involving domestic abuse where the victim may not have screamed-out or struggled (thereby incurring minimal physical injury) the focus is often on discrediting the female victim – What did she say? Was she drunk? Flirtatious? Wearing provocative clothing? In such cases, courtrooms have traditionally exhibited a bias towards the male perpetrator by assuming he has been wrongly accused thereby placing the onus of responsibility on the woman’s poor choices or bad behaviour — with provocative clothing and alcohol use seemingly proving the defendant’s trump (and quite literally) get out of jail card. The play challenges all of these perceptions and the patriarchal preconditioning so prevalent in our legal system and society in general.
But is the play any good? And what of JC’s performance? In short it’s a wordy barrage from the get-go offering an illuminating and sometimes uncomfortable experience due to the exceptional research and human detail which has gone into the script. It is flecked with humour and heartbreak brought to life by Comer’s adept delivery and commanding ownership of the stage under the Justin Martin’s assured direction. Ms Comer’s success with “Killing Eve” has ensured the success of the run and her performance will certainly garner critical plaudits not least for the extraordinary physical and emotional marathon she will need to traverse at every performance.
