by their fruits – Theatre503, London

Writer and Director: dkfash

by their fruits follows the falling out and redemption of a couple who have been in each other’s lives since childhood. Despite their affection and near fixation on each other, conveyed through lyrical dialogue and the intensity by which they move with each other, their connection is a reminder of the trauma emergent from their fragmented families. The show takes the audience on a journey to uncover whether they can be together in a lasting way despite this.

One of the standout parts of the play is that the two characters, referred to in promotion materials as only Him and Her, are evidently in love. The dialogue between them passes easily between innuendo-laden banter to reverence and to the kind of cutting observation that is only possible between people who know each other quite deeply. Depictions of their intimacy, both casual and not, are humorous and utterly convincing. Reba Ayi-Sobsa, in particular, leaves the theatre in stitches – a deeply feeling, foul-mouthed firecracker who refuses to tolerate disrespect yet who cannot help herself but to be drawn into this relationship where she is frequently disrespected. Ivan Ovik, in her opposite, offers a compelling cocktail of aloofness and passion.

Indeed, the actual dynamics of their conflict are the familiar exasperations of heterosexual couples that have played out in fiction since the beginning of time. It is deeply disappointing to see Her complaints of his failure to be present within the household, in which the larger part of their story is set, get spat back in Her face as Her somehow not believing in Him.

by their fruits attempts to render the experience of this conflict anew by creatively leveraging elements of style. The use of lighting is particularly strong, with greens turning to blues turning to fuchsias in a manner that simultaneously evokes armageddon and the club. dkfash’s extensive experience as a movement director is evident in the use of contemporary dance as a way to signal the passage of time.

It is hard to say that dkfash adequately reinvents the conflict through these elements. In many ways, they aid and abet the very patriarchal tropes that ought to be reinvented – biblical reference in dialogue, for instance, comes in the form of Her unreciprocated and under-appreciated prayers for his fiscal success and in his accusations that she somehow requires a saviour while he largely gets away with the emotional unavailability that proves more central in their conflict. As the title references the Book of Matthew to have the audience wary of false prophets knowable “by their fruit,” by the consequences of their actions, the fact that she is the one who makes the ultimate choice to leave Him gets cast as a faithless act rather than the logical decision of a woman who is made to endure unending distrust.

The matter of generational curses is a tricky one to evaluate as well. References to it are lightly sprinkled throughout the first part of the play, but their conflict undoubtedly revolves around his absence in the household as he faces challenges at work. As the play progresses, though, that they emerged out of the ashes of their families’ mutual destruction becomes the main point of contention, such that the redemption that concludes the play takes the form of them reaching out to their families again rather than Him giving Her a proper apology for how he has failed to let Her in. Generational trauma doesn’t read as an explanation for their conflict but as another conflict that gets the benefit of reconciliation, which other conflicts aren’t afforded.

The result of this is that while the play gestures toward reinvention, it doesn’t read quite as cerebral or surrealist as perhaps it intended to be. The audience isn’t necessarily challenged in their experience of the play’s reality but rather in their ability to dig out this familiar story from the layers of style it rests beneath.

Runs until 30 November 2024