Over There
Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Over There, latest offering from in-yer-face veteran Mark Ravenhill, stuns the watching audience with a remarkable combination of the grotesque with the sensitive. Identical twin brothers Karl and Franz - played by real-life twins Luke and Harry Treadaway - have been brought up either side of the Berlin Wall. Reunited as adults, they discover the existence of both a telepathic communication which binds them together, and ingrained East/West ideologies which severs them apart.
Framing the play is a simple and clean, at least at first, set which still manages to be visually intriguing. With the wings sealed off, a feeling of enclosure and claustrophobia is created, with an immediately invasive attitude towards the audience, as the actors entered through the auditorium. Johannes Schutz's design transforms the Royal Court space into something more in keeping with the Tate Modern than the Sloane Square theatre The multiple layers of meaning are clearly evident in the construction of the dominant feature: a wall made entirely from coloured food packaging. The imposing nature of this structure relays a sense of the trade and consumerism that divides the brothers from one another; a barrier that is insubstantial and easily movable, but still rigid and ever present.
Once again, Ravenhill shows his incredible knack of creating powerful symbols before juxtaposing them with one another in order to create a powerful effect. He daringly brings together the ideas of cancer and sex, showing the hollow necessity of the latter. West Germany and its materialist values - 'it's the world you've got to shop in' - are shown, almost sickeningly, when Franz consumes East Germany, in the form of Karl's blood. A stunning script and highly accomplished stagecraft here combine to make a play that is simultaneously disgusting and delightful.
The Treadaway twins work seamlessly together, with clearly defined characters showing the skill of both actors as individuals - not just as a functional part of gimmicky duo. A striking set, versatile costumes, and understated but effective music add to this remarkably compelling new play. As Over There now moves to Berlin, it will be interesting to see what Germany makes of this explicit English play about its past.
Helena S. Rampley
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