At the Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W. Toronto.
Written by Lucy Kirkwood
Directed by Joel Greenberg
Designed by Denyse Karn
Lighting by Kimberley Purtell
Sound by Verne Good
Starring: Susan Coyne
Ian D. Clark
Patrick Galligan
James Graham
Jessica Greenberg
Aaron Stern
A gripping, unsettling production of a play about the cut-throat media world of money sex and photoshop.
The Story. NSFW by British playwright Lucy Kirkwood, means “Not Safe for Work”. The play is about the cut-throat media world, money, sex and photoshop. In the first part of the play we are in the swank offices of Doghouse magazine, a publication for young men. That means naked women adorn the cover and the pictures inside. As Aidan, the editor of the magazine says in a crass way, nobody reads the magazine for the articles. Their latest issue has an article about a young woman who is photographed topless, kneeling on a bed in a provocative pose. Her boyfriend took the picture and sent it in to the magazine. Of all the photos they received the one of the young topless woman was selected for the magazine, by Sam, one of the editorial assistants.
Then Aidan gets an angry call from Mr. Bradshaw, the father of the young woman and learns something about her that puts him and his staff in a tailspin. Damage control goes into overdrive. Sam is fired for a start.
The second part of the play looks at women’s magazines. This point of view is equally as fascinating. We are in the sleek offices Electra Magazine, for young women. Miranda is the editor. There are articles on various new products that would enhance a young woman’s life—make-up, creams, moisturizers etc. There are articles on Botox. There are articles on ‘what it feels like for a girl’ to experience various aspects of being a modern young woman, only a man is put through the experience, of Botox, waxing etc. The pictures of the women in the magazine are perfect because they have been airbrushed for any imperfection, such as slight wrinkles, freckles, beauty marks.
The atmosphere appears to be collegial—there is a little party for one of the staff who is going through cancer treatment. As Miranda says they were all going to shave their heads in sympathy for the woman suffering from cancer, but decided a little party was more festive.
In the meantime, Sam has come looking for a job. This section of the play is nine months after he’s been fired. He has not had a job since. He is desperate. Miranda tells him to look at the various pictures of the women to be included in the magazine and circle their imperfections. He can’t see any. Miranda tells him to look harder.
The Production. Denyse Karn’s set for Doghouse Magazine is casual. There is a game machine stage right, a beanbag seat in front of that. There is a small desk up centre for Charlotte. Aidan’s desk is sleak, simple and uncluttered. CFramed covers of the magazine with women in various stages of undress adorn the walls.
The set for Electra Magazine is also sleek and stylish. A wall with glass shelving stage left is full of makeup product etc. Miranda’s desk stage right is modern, uncluttered except for a laptop, and without a trace of any homey touches. She has no time for that.
It’s directed by Joel Greenberg with a keen eye to creating a dog eat dog world. It’s a world of Rottweiler’s that go for the jugular in the first part of the play dealing with Doghouse Magazine.
Aidan the editor has to do some fancy maneuvering when he meets Mr. Bradshaw, the father of the young woman who posed topless. Bradshaw wants to destroy Aidan. Aidan verbally hacks Bradshaw to bits. Patrick Galligan plays Aidan. He is suave, smooth, confident and ruthless. As Mr. Bradshaw, Ian D. Clark is stooped, scrappy and desperate. The scene in which they verbally go after each other leaves you breathless and unsettled.
It’s a man’s world here and there is one woman named Charlotte who is an editorial assistant of sorts. As played by Jessica Greenberg, Charlotte is no shrinking violet. As Aidan and Bradshaw are going after each other verbally, Charlotte watches upstage and is riveting in her stillness, thanks to Greenberg’s performance.
The section of the play that focuses on Electra Magazine is equally as chilling but in a much subtler way. You get the impression that while Miranda seems to like and support her female staff, she doesn’t really care deeply about anybody. She’s a sophisticated woman in a world with younger women and she’s trying to keep ahead of the game. She treats the few men in her office, including Sam who is desperate for a job, as people to toy with, to humiliate in a subtle way.
As Miranda, Susan Coyne is stylish, trim, controlled and intimidating. She goes for the jugular but in a subtler way. The voice is soft; there are terms of endearment (“lovey); but the smile is tight. There is no warmth there. It’s a formidable performance.
Comment. At first I thought that Not Safe For Work referred to working conditions not being safe, such as working at a dangerous job like mining, or construction, etc. But no. On the back of the play text it says “Not Safe For Work: online material which the viewer may not want to be seen accessing in a public or formal setting—such as work.” It’s stuff you should not be reading or watching on line at work.
But I think Kirkwood is adding her own twist here. This is about the cutthroat world of the media in particular the publishing business. We look at it from the male and female point of view. Lucy Kirkwood is looking at these different subjects (men’s and women’s magazines) in the same way, but from a different angle. Unspoken but so present is the notion of what these jobs do to a moral, ethical compass. The atmosphere in both places is toxic. Not Safe For Work.
The male magazine dwells on the sex and the search for the perfect sexy woman for its cover and articles. The woman’s magazine gives the impression the experience of being a woman is important in its articles, but it’s really about the same thing—women striving to be perfect in this Botoxed, moisturized, sanitized, airbrushed world. In both cases it is a world that does not have ordinary women; but someone’s idea of the perfect woman.
Fantastic play. Wonderful production.
Studio 180 presents:
First performance: Nov. 7, 2014
Closes: Nov. 30, 2014
Cast: 6; 4 men, 2 women
Running Time: 90 minutes.
www.studio180theatre.com