The Washing Line, Chickenshed Review
Written by Cathie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Please note the following trigger warnings: Themes of cults and mass tragedy, exploring manipulation, control, and loss of autonomy. References to mass death and suicide, inspired by real historical events at Jonestown.Graphic imagery and descriptions, including references to bodies and unsettling visuals. Historical events, with fictionalised depictions of real-life tragedies that some viewers may find distressing.
The Chickenshed Theatre is legendary in London for its youth-based theatre shows and activities. Its efforts are a beacon in showcasing inclusion and diversity in theatre productions and this is exemplified in every show. As part of its celebrations for its 50th Anniversary celebrations the spring show is an updated version of The Washing Line, originally run in 2018 and 2022, and one of this theatre’s greatest hits relived. Don’t let the innocent title fool you, it’s taken straight from a comment made by the investigators of the massacre, “It looked like piles of washing hung out to dry. But they were bodies.” This hard-hitting production focuses on the sinister People’s Temple, cult leader Jim Jones and the biggest known mass suicide in history; The Jonestown Massacre of 1978. This horrific event opened the world’s eyes to the dangers of modern cults and how the vulnerable in society are easily taken in by sinister manipulators.
The plot bounces between the investigators discovering the bodies and trying to understand what happened, with flash-forwards to an interview with survivors in 1998 and the months in 1978 leading up to the massacre itself. We see the investigators wandering around the bodies and hear the survivors' fear and courage in escaping the horrific acts they endured. We also see the daily life of People’s Temple’s members in their daily life with some slowly becoming aware of the evil while others live in blissful ignorance in their isolated paradise, including a doomed romance unfolding and slowly increased bickering between friends. With an extremely large cast, it is difficult to list them all in this review but they were truly phenomenal as a group and incredibly engaging to watch. Some particularly eye-catching performances were Jonny Morton, who was excellently intense as the sinister and manipulative cult leader Jim Jones, along with his terrifyingly cheerfully controlling wife Marcelline (Sarah Driver) who was much of the brains behind the daily running of the cult. We also see sweet natured new devotee Jessie (Anna Listo- Rees) fall into Jone’s clutches while falling in love with fiercely loyal and independent Vernon (Alex Brennan). Congressman Ryan (Paul Harris) was played with powerful authority and conviction and the investigators played by Ashley Driver and Vintage Shaw were vivid in their disgust and righteous anger to make sense out of the horror and make sense of the madness which happened there.
I was particularly moved by this piece not focusing on Jim Jones and his evil but the innocent followers, many of whom felt rejected and broken by society and were seeking a better way forward to make a positive change in the world. The large cast also each played real individuals and had to research their history in its entirety and the evidence of this heartfelt research is palpable in its strength and intensity. We see initially ‘paradise’ and the layers are slowly peeled back to reveal the rotting heart within filled with manipulation tactics, fear, drugs and violence. This show doesn’t go into huge amounts of detail but is excellent at showing not telling. The choreography in particular is some of the best I’ve seen in modern theatre with so many individuals moving together as a seamless community. Their moves are brilliant and I particularly enjoyed seeing how wheelchair-based dancing was incorporated into the bigger dance sequences I hope this is echoed by the West End theatres in future productions as well.
The set is a Traverse stage so wherever you sit you will have a clear view of what is happening and there are plenty of wheelchair accessible spaces available. When you enter for the show for the first time you have to carefully creep around dozens of actors representing the victims of the massacre while the soundtrack plays the eerie sounds of the Guyana Jungle. This was a brilliant immersive element and it immediately made me feel on edge, wary and fully immersed into wondering what would happen next.
It is not an easy topic to watch a play about but this adaptation has been done exceptionally well in bringing this horrific incident to stage and is a reminder of the importance of theatre as a way of bringing attention and understanding to the darker side of humanity as well as its drive towards hope. This show is not an easy watch but it has an important message that needs to be heard by all. The personal anecdotes from the students at the end were particularly hard hitting, as well as their conviction to help society not follow the same dark jungle paths as the past. This theatre has had an extraordinary 50 years and I wish it much success in its next 50 years of productions and events. If you enjoy exceptional choreography, brilliant casts, hard edged drama and a breath-taking theatre experience then this is the show for you.
Running until 5th April 2025
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
