Amelia and Cassie have been friends since high school, and though their lives have taken them in drastically different directions, they have remained friends all this time. In January 2025, on the night of Trump's inauguration, Amelia joins Cassie in her basement, hiding out from the riotous streets. The two discuss the state of the world from their opposing political perspectives, before Amelia leaves and is met with a devastating assault.
This premise is very strong: at a time where politics is incredibly polarising, and conversations about whether political differences can be "put aside" in the name of friendship circle social media, a story about two friends on opposite ends of the political spectrum dealing with a time of political turmoil should be a fascinating watch. Unfortunately, the premise is currently the strongest part of this play. It tries to cover so much ground in 70 minutes that we inevitably end up with a sea of half-baked thoughts and unresolved conversations left dangling. Its writing also clearly leans heavily to the left-wing side of things, which is entirely valid, but somewhat takes away from what could be a really compelling tension between two friends as there never seems to be any nuance to their debate. Due to the rushed nature of the piece, Amelia's harrowing assault (handled beautifully by all involved - more on that later) comes very abruptly, and the fallout that follows feels ultimately weak and unsatisfying - why did Cassie leave her? How does this affect Amelia's outlook, or even their relationship? Just some of the questions which would be incredibly interesting to explore, but are left entirely unprobed.
The script itself is a real mix of highs and lows. The opening is painfully expositional, where the audience is spoon-fed the concept that underlines the play, "we're still friends despite our differences" - while many scripts suffer from telling without showing, Sanctuary does a great job of showing (for the most part) but insists on telling too, completely undermining some skilful writing! However, Christine Rose is clearly a gifted script-writer, seen in some moments of stunningly realistic and warm dialogue between old friends reminiscing and occasional snippets of brilliant wit which shine among smatterings of shoehorned 'current' references and repetitive arguments.
A play whose entire cast and plot centres around two women over fifty is incredibly refreshing and exciting to watch. It is a shame that the performances feel generally under-rehearsed and don't grip us; the characterisation of Cassie is at times clownishly over the top while Amelia borders on too subtle, though Andrea Milton-Furlotti does give wonderfully stoic wilful ignorance throughout.
However, it is the play's darkest (literally and metaphorically) moment that will stay with audiences long after they leave the theatre. When Amelia leaves and we hear her encounter [tw: sexual assault] with the young men outside, we cannot help but be utterly shaken to the core. Hearing the terrifying narrative play out where she is assaulted by those she has spent the last hour defending, left even by one she knows to face her fate - the script itself is so vivid and delivered so strikingly, helped by Jerry Chater's excellent sound design, that actors need not be on stage at all. A darkened stage, horrific dialogue, and an incredibly deliberate choice of language to evoke the murder of George Floyd (just moments after Amelia was disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement) create a sickening stillness throughout the space.
A profoundly relevant play, not currently reaching its clear potential, Sanctuary runs at The Hope Theatre until 30th November.
Review: Penny Lane Photo: Christine Rose