Written by Penelope Skinner

Directed by Tate Jackson and Rex Elliot

Review by Gabriel Rogers

Penelope Skinner’s Eigengrau focuses on the lives and relationships of four young Londoners living in separate flats. Mark (Nial O’Mara) is a male manipulator in marketing, of course, who shares his flat with Tim (Finn Elliot), a grief-induced slob who works at a chicken shop after his Nan passes away. They form a counterpart to Cassie (Sophia Pettit), a driven feminist whose work has her lobbying parliament and her away-with-the-fairies flatmate Rose (Phoebe Jones). Eigengrau takes these four and dashes them against one another – allowing the audience to glimpse the best and worst of modern dating in a depressing urban centre. 

Directed by Tate Jackson and Rex Elliot at the Putney Arts Theatre, Eigengrau kicks off to the sound of Radiohead’s Weird Fishes / Arpeggi. The tune, impressively accompanied by talented drummer Dylan Sweet, kicked the playoff brilliantly. Just as Sweet’s brilliant percussion assaulted the audience’s ears, Eigengrau’s opening scene assaulted their eyes. The play’s action began with Cassie typing out a difficult-to-read feminist anti-pornography speech, which catalogued the horrible content of misogynistic “rape porn”. Her midnight marauding, however, is interrupted by the semi-naked Mark, who stumbles onto the stage after, unsuccessfully, sleeping with Cassie’s flatmate Rose. They begin talking, Mark begins flirting, and from then on, the play’s breakneck speed never falters. The characters are thrown painfully against one another and are forced to deal with the pressures of online ghosting, rent anxiety and unemployment in London.  

Nial O’Mara does a brilliant job portraying the stereotypical male manipulator, Mark. He makes his character seem charismatic and funny, hinting at Mark’s deeply manipulative tendency to gaslight. He is also able to subtly depict the fragility of his character’s confidence. This was most clear at the play’s end when Tim announces that he is moving out of their shared flat. In response, O’Mara’s usually arrogant voice begins to tremor and fail him, pathetically pleading with Tim, “I need you…”. O’Mara’s performance of Mark was impressive as he gathered various aspects of the stereotypical male manipulator and provided it with his own nuanced take on the character. Finn Elliot does a similarly remarkable job of portraying the grief-stricken character of Tim, trying to get on with his life after the tragic passing of his beloved Nan. He is excellent at gaining the audience’s empathy while depicting his character’s lazy fast-food addiction and slobbish tendencies. 

Sophia Pettit’s Cassie is extreme in her dislike of men and works well in contrast to O’Mara, scowling and biting at Mark’s goading jokes. She does a brilliant job of demonstrating Cassie’s aggressively anti-male stance, stressing moments of anger such as her hope “not to have a boy” and the strength of her disdain. Indeed, despite Cassie’s ardent feminism, she is nevertheless attracted to being submissive romantically, a fact which she feels undermines the validity of her beliefs. Pettit was especially impressive in the way that she subtly portrayed Cassie’s uncertainty in the face of such a dilemma. Phoebe Jones’ Rose is entirely in love and obsessed with Mark and perfectly treads the line between being likeably free-spirited and annoying and far-fetched. Jones uses her physicality brilliantly, warding away ‘evil energy’ with the hilarious flutter of her hands. However, her character remains childishly ridiculous as she spends lavishly on a new outfit rather than paying her rent. Jones does a great job of portraying the frailty of her character’s childish personality as she ultimately crumbles under the pressure of rejection.  

Jackson and Elliot’s choice to shoot and display filmed sequences of the characters living day-to-day was really effective, as the audience was allowed a glimpse into the reality of London life for Cassie, Rose, Mark, and Tim. Indeed, the director’s costume choices were similarly brilliant, with Mark’s performative attempt at feminism visualized by his “I am Kenough” T-shirt being particularly worthy of praise. All involved should be proud of their work on a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging piece.

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