Jarman – Old Joint Stock, Birmingham

Writer: Mark Farrelly

Director: Sarah-Louise Young

Derek Jarman was a famously disruptive and influential film-maker and activist. When he was diagnosed as HIV-positive in the mid-1980s he became known for discussing his condition in public, continuing his campaigning right up until his death in 1994. Over the course of 80 minutes, Jarman gives us an insight into his story.

It would be wrong to call this a play. It’s a piece of theatre, an experience almost, and it would be hard to imagine it being performed anywhere other than an intimate space such as that at the Old Joint Stock. Starting from Jarman’s days at boarding school, where he was punished for his sexuality, writer and performer Mark Farrelly takes us through Jarman’s life and some of the people he met along the way. Armed only with a chair, a sheet, a torch and a roll of brown paper (and some help from the audience) – plus some excellent lighting – Farrelly digs into the heart and soul of his subject. We experience the pain of childhood, where his parents paid to send him to a school that, like so many, wanted to stop him being who he was. We see the fear and excitement of discovering that you may have a talent, and it’s something that you can use to change the world. We feel the joy of discovering that there’s a freedom, a freedom to be yourself and if that involves being anarchic, then all the better; and we see the anguish and pain of the illness that killed him at the age of just 52.

It’s a thought-provoking piece, with much to admire – not least the degree of commitment that Farrelly invests in his role. The amount of emotional energy he sustains in taking us through all these different phases of Jarman’s life is remarkable, and as a member of the audience in such a small venue you can’t help but feel drawn into events yourself. Despite the pain at each end of the production, it’s not all dark and gloomy, and there’s a good dose of humour running through the production too. It’s sometimes like you’re listening to a friend telling you a story, at other times almost voyeuristic as you watch a man in pain and despair.

Whatever your views on the piece or the subject, you cannot help but admire the performance.

Runs Until 10 April 2022 and on tour