Review: THE PARTY, The Cockpit

After President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be elected to be a member of the Supreme Court of the United States, Doctor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexual assault happened at a house party 36 years prior when they were both in high school. Kavanaugh went on to call the indictment a political hit to prevent his ascent and denied all the allegations. A televised hearing followed and more women stepped out to testify against him.

Sam J Stewart takes the events and writes his own trial, exploring victimisation and blame in The Party. The plot is roughly the same, with Kavanaugh becoming Judge Sullivan and Ford being called Doctor Strukoff, whose private letter of denounce is made public and turned into a media frenzy. The piece feels heavy and solemn, but lacks urgency. Stillness permeates The Party as the two come forward with their statements and the committee listens, pitching in with their thoughts on the matter, in what is a lengthy game of tag.

The attorneys take turns to discredit the other client's version and the audience becomes the silent jury. Stewart seemingly doesn't take sides, leaving the characters to fend for themselves. Empathy does, however, take hold of certain chunks of Strukoff's narration while Sullivan's accounts are cold references to an apparently innocent past.

Deborah Blake is resolute in her character's sorrow, nervous and pained as she is forced to relive the attack for the umpteenth time in front of the world. Michael Aston's Sullivan is, in turn, self-assured and entitled, questioning the motivations of the potentially destructive insinuations. He turns the tables quickly, accusing her of slander and having her defend herself in light of the violation of privacy that kick-started the case.

The play is directed by Michael Park (who, one understands, also wrote the show under an alias). Very practical in his delivery, he opts to aim the spotlight to the actors to highlight their testimony and keep the action to the bare minimum. The chilling reenactment of the alleged rape plays downstage as Strukoff recalls it for the first time, a cruel and silent instance that shocks in both nature and striking tonal difference.

Given the considerably burdensome subject, The Party might benefit from a trim (and better-suited supporting actors) but it's otherwise on the right path to ruffle some feathers and stoke the #MeToo discussion.

The Party runs at The Cockpit until 9 August as part of Camden Fringe.

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