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Show: A Rat, A Rat
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: Golden Goose Theatre, 146 Camberwell New Road, London
Credits: by Chloe Yates. Produced by Golden Goose Theatre in association with Stepping Out Theatre
Type: Sardines
Author: Aimee Collins
Performance Date: 13/08/2021
A Rat, A Rat
Aimee Collins | 16 Aug 2021 15:32pm
‘Rat’ on you…
A thought-provoking play highlighting the darkness and desperation surrounding poor mental health, the power of love, and the failings of the healthcare system.
‘A Rat, A Rat’ tells the story of 18-year-old Charlie who has just been transferred to the adult ward within a psychiatric unit, where she has been most of her life. In her embodiment of Charlie, Rose Reade skilfully demonstrates the tumultuous world of living with a mental health condition. We relate to Charlie’s teenage tantrums, laugh at her crude remarks but are also moved by the horrifying moments when she is trapped by the controlling ‘Rat’ in her mind. Charlie’s mother, Vicky, fights to bring her daughter back into the room, battling against the Rat’s consuming demands on Charlie’s attention.
The part of the Rat is played by Mariana Nunes and her meticulous attention to detail is vital to our understanding of the hold that the Rat has over Charlie, their interactions within Charlie’s mind coming to life before us. At times, the Rat even seems to mirror the inner feelings of Charlie, perhaps representing the powerful ability of poor mental health to blurr the difference between the real person and the condition. But the Rat also shows extreme jealousy when Charlie attempts to fight back and seeks to draw her back into its own world, its control shown through puppeteering her, luring her in to an ‘escape’ with cheesy dance routines.
Light hearted comedy penetrates the real sadness of Charlie’s journey when she meets fellow patient Kim, who draws her further into a world of confusion, believing Charlie, like her, is a ‘Channel’, having dark powers within her that are the reason for her hospitalisation.
Jenny, Charlie’s key-worker, represents the errors and oversights that come when inexperienced staff are left to work alone, knowing little more than how to follow the necessary ‘checks’, even prioritising ‘protocols’ when Charlie’s desperation to be heard causes her to fake her own attempted suicide.
We question why Charlie has spent almost her entire life in a psychiatric institution, her mother not receiving enough support to look after her at home, to then be turfed out as soon as she becomes an adult. Although Charlie is able to walk away from the Rat at the end of the play, leaving to begin her journey at home with her mum, we are not fooled into believing that Charlie’s struggles are over – more that her next hurdle is beginning.
- : admin
- : 13/08/2021