A Song of Songs, Park Theatre Review
A Song of Songs production image. Photo by Pamela RaithWritten by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review. All views are my own.
Content warnings – Mild sexual content, partial nudity, haze and moments of complete darkness.
The Park Theatre in Finsbury Park is transformed into Jerusalem. The year is unknown, the sun is beating down on the Women of Jerusalem as they hear the story of Tirzah, a mysterious character who as a young woman who felt trapped in a loveless marriage and embarked on a mysteriously moreish love affair with an unknown poet. Music with a Middle Eastern flair is the background to a sensual, shocking love story. A Song of Songs showcases the power of words, poetry and song.
I found A Song of Songs to be truly captivating. The band play music as the audience enters, and do not miss a beat throughout. The music is gorgeous, and I felt like I was basking in the sunshine listening to their music. The sound of drums and guitars fill up the space, as the Women (Laurel Dougall, Rebecca Giacopazzi, Shira Kravitz and Ashleigh Schuman) enter the stage and we meet Tirzah (Ofra Daniel), who we hear arrived in town, running naked after being banished. The emotion is high and raw, as we witness Tirzah in a maddening state and start to understand who she is waiting for.
The Women of Jerusalem listen and watch on as Tirzah explains how she met her husband to be (Matthew Woodyatt) and how she started to receive love poems from a mysterious lover (Joaquin Pedro Valdes). These poems ignite something inside of her, a sexual awakening.
Ofra Daniel’s performance is dazzling. She commands the room. Every line, every sashay is delivered with fiery emotion. She -literally- lets her long black hair down, and – literally- bares her soul. The Women of Jerusalem are equally as deserving of high praise; primarily a gaggle of local women who love to gossip and love to know what’s going on, but also playing various other parts such as other townspeople and guardsmen. The quartet complement each other wonderfully, which makes for some very impressive group numbers making use of their equally impressive skirts.
Woodyatt and Valdes play the men in Tirzah’s life; her fishmonger husband twenty years her senior, and her elusive lovey respectively. Woodyatt’s role as the husband is more supporting, however, he does act as a brilliant narrator at times. Valdes’ performance as the lover clearly comes naturally to him, and the emotion expressed through the songs and words is felt throughout the audience.
The music is incredible. The Middle Eastern influences are gorgeous, and consistent throughout. Amy Price is a particular standout, coming down from the raised platform the band are on and playing her violin amongst the women on stage. This adds so much excitement and urgency to the music and story. As if Daniel isn’t talented enough as an actress, writer and director, she also wrote the lyrics to the catchy songs.
The set design is very basic, with the band’s raised platform and a ramp that is moved around the stage according to the story. There is also a dangling ladder which leads to a different ‘room’ and where we tend to find the lover, a presence looming over us but never quite in the thick of it. The space is fairly small, however, it has been used effectively.
A Song of Songs is undoubtedly a gorgeous production, with a story that is pleasantly easy to follow. With songs and performance which, in my opinion, are on a par with some West End productions I have seen, this is not one to miss before the run ends!
At the Park Theatre until June 15th
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
