Union – Arcola Theatre, London

A journey through London’s heart and soul, Union reminds us of our own agency faced with a changing city.

Union

London.  It’s a big, complex, lovely, corporate, multicultural, souless, inspiring, place.  Emphasis on the complex, then.  It’s also ever-changing.  We here at the Salterton Arts Review know that better than most, having explored the layers of the city’s history time and again.

What is perhaps different, in 2023, is the pace of change, and the result in terms of the fabric of the city.  In the last decade or so, around 20,000 residential units have been added to the city each year.  It feels like a plague of luxury flats is upon us.  Even since I moved here in 2010, there are parts of the city that feel unrecognisable.  Altered.  The old swept away in favour of the new.  And if the new looks the same everywhere, without the character that makes a neighbourhood unique, can we do anything about it anyway?

Max Wilkinson, in Union, explores this question.  Union here is the Grand Union Canal, running through the heart of London.  Union is also what binds us, our community and connection.  It’s something main character Saskia has almost lost sight of as, on the eve of the biggest deal in her career as a property developer, she suddenly runs away.  Away from that meeting.  Away from the fear that maybe things have gone wrong, somewhere along the way.  Surely we’ve all had that feeling, or some version of it, at some stage in our lives.  The question is, what to do next?

Wresting With The Demons Of Gentrification

Wilkinson’s seventh play, Union posits this question using a fairly simple structure.  Running through London along the canal, Saskia is haunted by the ghosts of her, and London’s past.  An East London girl made good, or so it seems, she has the knack for getting communities on board with large redevelopment projects.  If it turns out in the end that the big corporation can’t afford those council houses or that community theatre, so be it.  Not Saskia’s fault, surely?

But from canal path emerge characters who help her in her quest to self discovery.  Locals who were forced out or stayed.  Arty types who move in as a place gentrifies and yet protest gentrification.  A changing city: safer?  Quieter?  Less vibrant?  More potential?  Is it as simple as a right or wrong answer?  Will childhood friend Dizzy, whose shadow permeates Saskia’s journey, cast the final vote?

Dominique Tipper puts in a very high energy performance as Saskia.  Her initial self-confidence slowly becomes more fragile as she opens up her defences to fragments of her past.  Her appeals to the audience are immediate and frank, we see what a slippery slope it can be and the back and forth of her internal dialogue, yet she keeps us at a distance.

Saskia’s world is fleshed out by Andre Bullock and Sorcha Kennedy.  Each play a variety of secondary characters of all shapes and sizes.  The way they bring them to life adds to the humour of this snappy 80 minute play, but are also very convincing, espousing the different faces of the city and of Saskia’s past.

Final Thoughts

Gentrification is on London’s mind.  Growing inequality shines a spotlight on the ways in which life is becoming harder in the city.  The pressure to leave unless you can keep up with higher rents is one such factor.  Not everyone benefits from the supposed standard of living increases that development brings.  Union is a passionate, partisan yet not preaching voice in the debate.  It’s a very different sort of play than the excellent Red Pitch, returning soon to the Bush Theatre.  Yet both share a real love of community and sadness at its disappearance.

I’ve been to the Arcola Theatre a couple of times now.  This is by far my pick of the plays I’ve seen there.  I loved the simple staging and design (by Kit Hinchcliffe) which allows the story to shine and makes the most of the Arcola’s downstairs Studio 2, all exposed brick and polished concrete.  The flourishes in the lighting by Martha Godfrey are great: very creative responses to key moments in the script.  Wilkinson’s writing is funny and current, capturing different voices authentically.  Really excellent stuff.

The difference between Union and a Red Pitch is that Wilkinson focuses on our agency even in the face of a force like gentrification. Every day we make choices. Through action or inaction, we make choices about what we will accept. Wilkinson urges us to be conscious of the choices we make in our own lives, what we value, what we choose to protect. A story about gentrification isn’t unique, but a reminder of personal agency is an empowering message to finish on.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

Union on until 12 August 2023