It was always going to be difficult to tell a tale of this intensity in such a tight space. Didem Caia’s Vile is certainly a test for the performers and, to some extent, the audience. Its emotive, sexual and sometimes violent narrative calls upon all the usual motifs (family, betrayal, secrecy, coming-of-age) to weave its dark psychological web and as such veers between utterly compelling and occasionally unconvincing.
Told in two distinct sections, 1999 and 2009, Vile tracks high school sweethearts Melanie (Madeleine Ryan) and James (Darcy Kent) from their suburban origins to their city adulthood, but more importantly from devastation to redemption. However, it does so in a well executed non-linear fashion that seriously heightens our curiosity and keeps us watching, despite the odd lapse into soap. Ryan and Darcy are a well matched pair, by turns funny, infuriating and endearing. However, it’s Amanda McKay as Melanie’s secretive, slow-burning mother who steals the show performance-wise with a beautifully nuanced, understated portrayal. For director Elizabeth Millington the challenge was to keep the pot from boiling over. Things could easily have turned ‘purple’ because, although Vile is cleverly structured and neatly tied up, it’s not exactly subtle. That said, it does keep you interested, delivering its twists right until the end.
La Mama Courthouse to 27 Jul
