People, Places and Things: Denise Gough dazzles – but this tale of addiction loses its way
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
“Addiction is a parasite that will fight for its own survival”, says the doctor (Sinéad Cusack) to patient Emma (Denise Gough), after she first checks herself into the rehab facility where most of the action in People, Places and Things takes place. A revival of Jeremy Herrin’s 2015 National Theatre production (that also starred Gough), the play explores the ways in which that parasite is able to embed itself into the soul of a woman from a seemingly conventional middle-class family, and that woman’s desperate efforts to save herself.
Nearly a decade after she won an Olivier Award for the role, Gough has lost none of her power in bringing this complicated antiheroine to life. It is truly a summit performance for an actor that should be studied at drama schools for years to come: the myriad of modes she switches between – whether inebriated, rude and aggressive, borderline psychotic, darkly comical, or gut-wrenchingly tragic – would be almost unimaginable were it not happening before your eyes.
But no matter how hard Gough tries, there is something fundamentally dissatisfying about Duncan Macmillan’s script. It is certainly entertaining, but achieves this end only through playing to the basic dark allure that stories of drugs and broken people have.
There are more pertinent social issues that could be further explored in the world of drug addiction, such as the difficulty accessing addiction support, the legalities, the sheer prevalence of drug abuse in the UK today. Alternatively, Emma’s story could provide a bit more for the audience to sink their teeth into plot-wise, because for all the times we see her bruised or intoxicated after a binge, there is little to be seen of how her life in addiction has actually played out. An aspect of her characterisation is her proud refusal to reveal her true history to her support workers (and audience as a result), which has the undesired effect of making her character seem somewhat threadbare, and somewhat insufficient to carry two and a half hours of plot.
There is a strong supporting cast of fellow addicts at rehab, whose easy dialogue gives a strong sense of being immersed in the day-to-day of the centre. Bunny Christie’s minimalist set design captures a sense of that sterile facility, while Tom Gibbons’ dynamic sound design featuring screeching white noise and intense machine gun fire helps capture the torment of Emma’s detox, aided by James Farncombe’s flickering lighting. The traverse stage design sees members of the audience face each other across the stage, reminding us of the apparent parallels between rehab and theatrical performance (Emma herself is also an actor).
Act two, unfortunately, sees the plot lose its way, descending into a mix of cheap stereotype and unrealistic climax. The conclusion feels rushed and unlikely, in contrast to the far longer and more subtle first half. In the end, it feels a shame that the story cannot sustain itself to meet the heights of Gough’s performance.
Until 10 August; 020 7321 5400; ATG Tickets
