When It Happens to You – Park Theatre, London

Writer: Tawni O’Dell

Director: Jez Bond

So, what is “it”? The title of American writer Tawni O’Dell’s new 90-minute play gives no clues and all the characters appearing skirt around the issue like the elephant in the room, dodging use of the actual word. Even the Park Theatre, in the publicity for the play, talks of “a devastating event”, without specifying what that event is. Well, no spoiler alerts, because it becomes clear in the first few minutes that “it” is rape.

O’Dell shows no interest in the perpetrator of the crime, who, we are told, is caught quickly, tried fairly and sentenced justly. Her focus is firmly on a small family unit comprised of the victim, Esme (Rosie Day) and the secondary victims, her mother Tara (Amanda Abbington), a twice-divorced writer, and brother Connor (Miles Molan). Tok Stephen appears as a police officer and several other characters cropping up in the story.

Director Jez Bond keeps all four actors in view throughout, their movement across a bare rectangular stage exaggerated to express urgency at critical points. This simplest possible staging gives the play uncluttered lucidity that contrasts sharply with the evasiveness of the characters when facing up to what has happened to them.

An extraordinarily powerful performance by Abbington is the drama’s driving force. She brings out Tara’s anger and frustration at her own helplessness in easing her daughter’s pain. Esme is a trainee chef who has moved from the family home in Pennsylvania to live in her own apartment in New York City, with only her cat for company; with great subtlety, Day shows how the confidence of an independent woman can be dented and how the wrong choices can be made easily. Molan’s Connor is a geeky science student who is blown off course by strains in family relationships, but sees the damage caused by failures to face up to the truth. He opts for an uncomfortable Christmas with his estranged father rather than returning to the family home.

Based on true events, the play addresses the social stigmas and prejudices linked to rap victims. Connor wonders why his sister’s plight cannot be looked at in the same way as a broken leg, which would be discussed openly. The writing walks a fine line between a drama and a lecture and the only strong criticism is that it sometimes veers too far towards the latter, particularly in the closing stages when, in turns, characters speak directly to the audience.

Taken as a whole, this is meaty stuff, raw, riveting and revelatory. The message is let’s talk about the things that hurt and this play itself certainly sets the ball rolling.

Runs until 31 August 2024