Review: UNION, Arcola Theatre

Saskia is about to close the biggest deal of her career. Midway through the meeting for a huge new development in Central London, however, she flees and runs to Grand Union Canal. By the water, she breaks down and recalls the happy times of her youth while ghosts from her past haunt her. Ruthlessly blunt in her defence of gentrification, Saskia does coke with trendy people in Dalston, buys weed for two teenagers from an estate in King’s Cross, meets a prophet-like woman who lives on a barge, and swaps stories with a feisty old lady in Bow while she tries to avoid the unavoidable.

Union is half mournful love letter to a changing city and half harangue against the soulless destruction of local communities for the benefit of a coffee shop chain. It gets a little wrapped up in its socio-political intent at the expense of Saskia’s personal storyline, involving the indelible marks of peer pressure and teen cruelty as well as a broader conversation on suicide and its causes, but doesn’t delve into these subjects as much. Max Wilkinson offers an abundance of topical matters - maybe slightly overdoing it.

Although it remains largely unexplored, that side of the piece anchors it down, preventing it from turning into a too-general sermon on the misdeeds of property developers. Saskia’s breakdown and the reasons that provoked it don’t entirely correlate with the grand discussion on harmful gentrification, and the mental health issues she’s experiencing live on a different trajectory from the core matter of the show. Essentially, Wilkinson tries to cover too much ground at once. Written after workshops with residents across London, the accounts and opinions in the play have a lifelike feel to them, but suddenly drop in importance in the face of Saskia’s big revelation.

While sometimes overly poetic and perhaps too well-meaning in its purpose, Union is an effective exploration of the damages generated by aggressive redevelopment. From the older generations being dispatched to Ilford to independent shops having to pack up and leave, Wilkinson paints a brutal picture. Wiebke Green directs with bare confidence. Costumes and props lie in plain view on a naked stage designed by Kit Hinchcliffe while Sorcha Kennedy and Andre Bullock accompany Dominique Tipper on her journey of penance. 

Tipper gives an assured performance as her character comes face to face with the negative consequences of her decisions. Her descent into panic is edged by an array of personas all portrayed with bold identity by Hinchcliffe and Bullock. Each role is defined by peculiar individuality, introducing a brilliant range from all actors. All in all, while Union could certainly be improved, it’s strong issue-led theatre. It’s dark in politics and humour, taut in pace, and excellent in performances.

Union runs at the Arcola Theatre until 12 August.

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