The Prisoner
The Lyceum, Edinburgh
THE set for Brook’s first production in Scotland for years is sparse: rocks on stage, scattered straw, dead trees toward the back. This is classic Brook and emphasises inner struggle, rather than outward spectacle. Written and directed by Brook and collaborator Marie-hélène Estienne, The Prisoner dramatises a memory from his time in Afghanistan, of a man condemned to sit facing a prison.
There are moments of beauty on stage. Actors sing, make bird noises off stage, helping excite the minimalistic set. The audience is set up as the prison he watches – undeniably clever, it deepened the question of punishment. We’re similar criminals wondering how to gain our own redemption while passing judgment on another.
The prisoner, Mavuso, killed his father having found him “in bed” with his sister, Nora. He loved her “as father did” and killed in jealousy.
This play explores sin and redemption. These are important issues but more crucial lessons are missed. Brook uses violence against a woman as a vehicle for a man’s selfdiscovery, exploiting Nora’s experiences making them a stepping stone for more universal – more masculine – things.
Her feelings are neglected, any details (father raping her from age 13) are gleaned from discussions about Mavuso, then she is blamed and accepts that blame. And we know this isn’t criticism of attitudes towards women: it is respected Uncle Ezekiel who calls her selfish and gets her to leave.
Brook’s long career deserves celebration, but The Prisoner does not.
Eleanor Campanile is a pupil at Holyrood High School and this review was submitted as part of The Herald Young Critics Project with Edinburgh International Festival.