Review: STITCHERS, Jermyn Street Theatre

Lady Anne Tree thought she had a brilliant idea to help convicts. After seeing what the prisoners went through every day firsthand as a visitor, she decided that she would teach them needlecraft, a way to occupy the mind and to set aside a small amount of money through the sale of the artworks. Based on a true story and debuting as an inspiring play by Esther Freud, Stitchers is an extraordinarily crafted piece of theatre.

Sinéad Cusack stars as the spotlessly aristocratic Lady Anne. She's politely commanding with the inmates, gently steering them towards a bigger purpose and acceptance of who they are. While the other actors may tower around her with their strong arms bared in t-shirts, she grows to be their evident leader in the matter of a scene.

The production sees solid deliveries throughout the cast, but it's Michael Nardone (playing Lukasz) who has a major impact on both the storyline and the audience. The "strongest man in this prison" cries when he talks about his family, is still hurt by The Shawshank Redemption the fifth time he watches it, and already knows every possible stitch Lady Anne teaches to the group.

His fatherly relationship with Tommy (Frankie Wilson) is heartbreaking in its simplicity: he pushes him to do pull-ups to become stronger (and tells him to dedicate each of them to something he loves - his mother, his children, one for vodka, but none for his father because "he bastard") and shows him how to survive and come to terms with his guilt.

Martin Docherty (as Busby), Trevor Laird (as Len), Victoria Elizabeth (as Denise), and Ewan Stuart (as Keith) are a cohesive pattern of well-rounded performances. The displays of vulnerability masked by sheer violence and the manly banter all play into building the emotional sphere of the detainees.

Along with the acting, the visual factors of Stitchers are exceptionally characteristic. The green-blue paint of the walls gives a fishtank look to the scene, which, added to the metal grids that circle the stage, contributes to the restrictions of the site; the space, however, never looks cramped or claustrophobic with Liz Cooke's agile and airy design.

Sound designer Max Pappenheim plays with noises and vibration. He has the actors banging on the grids at intervals during the play, adding to the ambience and frightfulness of the penitentiary. Voices and steps are echoed and uneasiness is conveyed in clangs, building the audible structure of the prison itself.

Commendable is also the use of light by William Reynolds, who once again brings creative and distinctive elements to the pieces he crafts. Director Gabby Dellal orchestrates all the different aspects beautifully. Visual sharpness combined with strong leads makes Stitchers a perfectly executed victory for such a narrow stage.

The only considerable misstep of the production is casting an able-bodied actor as the wheelchair-bound Busby. This is, however, only a nick in the gorgeous mosaic Dellal has conceived and, even though it's of significance in the bigger conversation, doesn't impact the outcome of the show.

Stitchers runs at Jermyn Street Theatre until 23 June.

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