DramaFeaturedNorth WestReview

Anna X – The Lowry, Salford

Reviewer: John McRoberts

Writer: Joseph Charlton

Director: Daniel Ragget

Just like the assault to the senses Anna (Emma Corrin) subjects to her ‘Victim’ Ariel (Nabhaan Rizwan), director Daniel Ragget’s visually stunning production grips from the hitting beats of the arresting opening scene to the stripped-back meta look at what is real and not during the final scene.

Based on the true-life story of socialite con-artist Anna Sorokin who was arrested for conning thousands of dollars from rich New Yorkers, writer Joseph Charlton has weaved a fictional re-telling of her story. Here his victim is Ariel, founder of a new dating app for the rich, Genesis. Ariel soon finds himself the unknown victim to fraudster and socialite ‘Anna X’ played with wonderful vivacity and ferociousness by Emma Corrin. Corrin is worlds apart from her rise to fame as Princess Diana in Netflix series The Crown and proves just what an exciting actress she is. She is paired fantastically with Nabhaan Rizwan who punctuates his performance with confidence and imbibes Ariel with just enough naivety and arrogance that makes the whole scenario seem perfectly legitimate.

But it’s the multi-media aspects of the production that really threatens to steal the limelight, Mikaela Liakata and Tal Yarden’s set design and video mould a seamless virtual background to proceedings – so much so that when a small technical glitch happens mid-way through the show, you start to ask questions to is this meant to be part of the performance or not? It’s this constant questioning that makes Anna X so appealing and captivating, what should we believe, especially online? Is the person that we think we know so well, really the person they appear to be? Are we as victims to these people just as much to blame as the perpetrator?

One thing for certain Anna X makes you think about the themes and outcomes long after the curtain comes down, and certainly made this reviewer be a little more cautious about who has access to his personal life and data!

Runs until 14 August 2021

The Reviews Hub Score

Visually Arresting

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The Reviews Hub - North West

The North West team is under the editorship of John McRoberts. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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