The Power of Sail, Menier Chocolate Factory Review
Julian Ovenden (Charles Nichols) and Tanya Franks (Amy Katz). Photo: Manuel Harlen
Written by Russell
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
The Power of Sail is a maritime expression which, for those of us not in the know, boils down to; a wind powered boat always gets precedence/right of way over an engine driven boat.
It makes sense when you think about it.
Paul Grellong has written an intense and heavy duty play about freedom of speech and cancel culture, about self-interest, ideological differences and white privilege. The idea behind the piece is highly topical and relevant.
It is performed by a very strong cast with excellent staging and production. Julian Ovenden plays the not very likeable, narcissistic and somewhat stuffy and dated Harvard professor Charles Nichols, who looks down on his students as snowflakes as they attend classes in their pyjamas and cuddle teddy bears. They are looking to take offence at the drop of a hat over the tiniest of opposing views or misunderstandings and wouldn’t have lasted a day back in the sixties. But it’s not the sixties anymore, things change, get over it grandad!
As the principal of the university he has invited holocaust denier and white supremacist Carver, who we never see, to give a talk to the students and this has caused a bit of an unpleasant furore amongst them as well as the other academics at the university, to say the least.
Are his reasons for the invitation as genuine as he presents them or are they more about him getting the attention he craves so badly? His argument is to shine the light on the “haters” and expose all their faults and shortcomings for all to see. The raging unseen mob of students are protesting that they don't even want him on the campus, let alone to have to listen to his hateful bile and rhetoric.
Tanya Franks plays Amy Katz a Jewish principal and Giles Terera plays Baxter Forrest, a highly successful black alumni; they do everything they can to get Nichols to change his mind, back down and apologise. But he’s not having any of it, he’s got ulterior motives and personal glory in his sight.
There are a number of other complex plots going on amongst the other academics.
Michael Benz plays the brown-nosing Lucas Poole bang on and Katie Bernstein is excellent as Maggie Rosen and we learn a lot about how the hierarchy of an elite university behave and misbehave and thrive on self-interest . It seems everyone has something on everyone else, and when it all unravels, they all become cut throats and hold guns to each other's heads.
I enjoyed it although I wasn't blown away by it.
There are questions that you must ask yourself as you come away. Has everyone lost the ability to listen to the other side's argument without resorting to rage and cancelling and violence? It feels like we’re heading that way. Will it change any attending racist's mind to be more thoughtful and understanding? I doubt it.
Final personal note. Special shout out to Tanya Franks, this is as far away from her legendary portrayal of Karen in the glorious sitcom ‘Pulling’ as it is possible to be. Arguably her Karen was the greatest realistic portrayal of being a single woman that has ever hit the small screen and therefore she can do no wrong in my eyes and the play is worth seeing just to see Tanya alone.
Five stars for the staging and scenery.
Four stars for the all-British cast who pull off their American accents flawlessly and are all excellent throughout.
Three stars for the play itself, which is interesting and complex but the characters never came alive to me, it never felt real or passionate and didn’t really engage the audience.
Directed by Dominic Dromgoole.
Running time 100 minutes with no breaks.
The Power of Sail runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 12th May.