REVIEW | A Mirror, Trafalgar Theatre
Tanya Reynolds, Samuel Adewunmi, and Jonny Lee Miller for A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre. Photo by Marc BrennerWritten by Bronagh
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
This play is a lie. A bold statement on the front of the programme for A Mirror, with Jonny Lee Miller gazing out at the reader. As soon as you enter the Trafalgar Theatre there is a wedding theme, with balloons adorning the space and a sign welcoming you to the wedding of Leyla and Joel. A Mirror is a play that you should go into blind to make the most of it, so please do read on at your own risk!
The audience takes their seats in the theatre, expecting to be watching the wedding of Leyla and Joel. This is soon shattered by sirens and flashing lights, and the realisation that this isn’t a wedding at all but instead… a play. The audience are no longer wedding guests, but instead is now complicit in a protest. A Mirror is, of course, a play about censorship and the effect that this has on theatre and the arts. It goes without saying how important theatre is, a message which writer Sam Holcroft has weaved perfectly into A Mirror.
We are introduced to Mr Čelik (Jonny Lee Miller), deputy Culture Minister, who has vetted car mechanic Adem’s (Samuel Adequnmi) play. The play is based upon conversations he hears his neighbours having about sex and alcohol, topics that the Ministry would not approve of instead preferring smoke and mirrors. These a real life scenarios are reflected in a metaphorical mirror, most of which aren’t nice or would pass censorship checks. Čelik sees potential in Adem’s writing and decides to take him under his wing, where they participate in workshops alongside junior civil servant Mei (Tanya Reynolds) and playwright Bax (Geoffrey Streatfeild) and it becomes apparent that all is not what it seems.
The performances are incredible given the cast is tasked with being ‘actors playing actors’. Jonny Lee Miller as Čelik gives a spellbinding performance, at times reminding me of Daniel Rigby in Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Tanya Reynolds excels as Mei, a stiff and wooden junior civil servant. The cast delivers a darkly satirical performance, with audience applause throughout the two hour show. These two hours do feel like an endurance test, with no interval at all.
The set, designed by Max Jones, is very impressive. The set is simple, and veers between a wedding venue, an office, a home; this is all aided by props used by the cast while either acting as bride and groom, or as actors. A Mirror has semi immersive factors; the audience are invited to rise for the bride and groom, to read the oath of allegiance and with armed soldiers walking through the audience – or should I say protestors?
There’s no denying that A Mirror is a brilliant play with a stellar cast. The premise is an interesting one, which is presented well to the audience. The frenzy and comical moments only add to the brilliance. This is not one to miss.
At the Trafalgar Theatre until 20th April 2024.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
