Review: 13

Mike Bartlett’s ‘13’ is no doubt a piece that will divide opinion. It is a contemporary, epic tale which presents all the contemporary, epic issues you could shake a stick at.

Set in a nightmarish London, ‘13’ follows the lives of 24 characters as they each experience the same bad dreams night after night. With so many threads of the story to keep track of, it’s not surprising that at times, it all got a little too much.

I feel like Mike Bartlett sat down one evening and pulled out every juxtaposing, mildly controversial theme and stock character he could think of, rendering the audience with a selection of protests, war, religion, a sleazy solicitor, a Christian wife gone bad, and why not chuck in a couple of lesbians to keep it really juicy!

With all this to contend with, I was left unsure of the overarching message. If Bartlett’s intent was to evoke from the audience a feeling of being overwhelmed by the multiplicity of issues society faces today, then ‘13’ is very effective.

However my resonant feeling is that if each scene repeatedly whacks the audience over the head with a metaphorical sign preaching “SOCIETY?!?!?” there should be a clear overall aim. For me, this very busy, maximalist approach detracted from character development, and a few slower, more poignant moments that would have lifted the play ten-fold.

However despite my cynicism regarding the play, the standard of the production was incredibly high and the talented cast and crew certainly have a lot to be commended for. Yes, I thought there were a couple of irritating stereotypes who were more plot devices than substance, but the characters who both made me laugh and who also pulled at my heartstrings (such as Stephen, played very sharply by James McDermott, alongside Alice and Holly) provided a lovely release of theatrical tension whilst also offering the audience more subtle themes to reflect upon.

All in all, director Louisa Smith took a potentially monotonous play and created some really lovely, original scenes and motifs that will stay in my mind for a long time. Joe Jones and Jerusha Green provided excellent performances as the focal protagonists, John and Ruth, whose interwoven narratives gave the piece much-needed structure.

Jonathan Moss’s ending monologue as the soldier was also outstanding. Technically, ‘13’ was a work of art. Considering the amount of lighting and sound, it ran without a hitch. This reflects how much hard work was put in to create such a polished performance where both cast and crew were perfectly in sync. It was the little things that really struck me about this production; the scene transitions which overlapped creating a seamless narrative, the bucket prop which was transformed into anything, and the stripped-back staging which effectively created any imagined space.

Despite not being convinced by the play, it was really encouraging to see some creative theatre done to a very high standard.