Review: PIECES OF A WOMAN, Battersea Arts Centre

Writer Kata Wéber and Director Kornél Mundruczó successfully adapted their play, Pieces of a Woman, for film which was released to wide acclaim in 2020. This play is now presented for the first time in UK, produced by TR Warszawa. It is performed in Polish with English subtitles.

The play, like the film, opens with a raw and unflinching scene in which Maja played by Justyna Wasilewska gives birth. This is performed live on the stage behind set pieces and walls. With some talented camera work, a handheld camera captures the dramatic events which are then screened on the external walls of the small residence. The closeness of the camera, alongside dramatic score, brings an almost claustrophobic intensity and intimacy to the high pressure and emotional scene.

When this extended opening act of the play ends in a devastating tragedy there is a brief interlude which takes us forward by six months. The walls are removed and we are taken to the living room of Maja’s mother, who is awaiting the arrival of her family. From here the play takes place solely within this location, with the intergenerational family moving between kitchen, living room and bathroom and often into the offstage and unseen areas of the house.

A complex family dynamic is shown. At the centre of which is Maja, who is grieving and struggling and yet determined not be defined by her grief. The play accurately explores the ripple effects of this grief and the impact that it has on her relationships with her partner, her family and herself.

Wasilewska gives a heart-breaking performance as Maja. She moves quietly around her family, isolated and alone, despite being surrounded by her closest relatives. Her portrayal of someone struggling with grief and determination are given with an incredible authenticity.

The cast work together well and the family show their relationships in various ways. The matriarch, Magdalena Kuta, is confused and showing early signs of dementia, which her daughters notice yet fail to address and communicate, and yet she still manages to challenge her daughters on their life choices in only the way a mother can.

This is a deeply emotional and intense piece of theatre which shows the painful realities of the strength required to live through grief. It is not for the faint hearted and will stick with you long after the end of the performance has ended.

Pieces of a Woman is at Battersea Arts Centre until 23 May

Photo Credit: Natalia Kabanow

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