Jon Brittain’s ROTTERDAM stormed the theatre scene when it first opened at THEATRE 503 nearly two years ago. Following its transfer to Trafalgar Studios and to an off Broadway venue, Brittain’s comedy about sexuality, relationships and identity gets another revival, this time at The Arts Theatre.ROTTERDAM tells the story of Alice and Fiona, a same sex couple living in the Dutch port town. We meet the two English women after they have been together for seven years; their relationship seems to be growing stronger as Alice is drafting an email to her parents to finally come out to them as gay. However things are not what they seem, as Fiona has her own secret, she is a man and wants to start the process of transitioning.
I don’t believe that theatre productions should be judged solely on the merit of the context. As a theatre maker I’m interested in the execution of themes and subjects more than anything else. Kudos to Brittain for writing a fantastic and witty piece about sexuality and gender, as his writing is what essentially turned ROTTERDAM into a massive success. Nevertheless this production is not flawless. Whilst Brittain was clearly aiming to ease his audiences into the complexity of the themes of ROTTERDAM, the director Donnacadh O'Briain seems to put too much emphasis on making the audiences laugh. It is a shame, as the world of the play is very vivid and this production could consist of plenty of truthful and devastating moments if it wasn’t for the constant need to entertain.
Alice McCarthy (Alice) and Anna Martine Freeman (Fiona) have a mesmerising chemistry on stage and they inhabit their characters to the full, their relationship is a believable one, and as an audience member I cared for the two female protagonists because of the truth created by McCarthy and Freeman. No doubt it is Freeman who shines the brightest, as her portrayal of Fiona, is not only an emotional one but also a physical one. Freeman is one of those actresses who is completely in sync with her body and takes the stage over with her presence and charisma.
ROTTERDAM is a production that provides a platform to speak about many subjects that are still vastly unexplored on stage. We don’t see many women oriented gay narratives in theatre let alone transgender ones. Yet Brittain’s writing could easily work in a more understated manner, making ROTTERDAM a more poignant and moving production.
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