Part one woman show and part judo demonstration that is unfortunately not a knock-out
WRESTLELADSWRESTLE is the latest show from Jennifer Jackson Company, and stars Jennifer Jackson, a former judo champion as she tells us stories from her life interspersed with judo demonstrations, dance sequences, and a myriad of professional wrestling style entrances. While there are 3 primary performers who have lines plus a drummer, at one point there is over 20 people on stage, and yet I feel like this show is most akin to a one-woman show.
Jackson is the narrator, protagonist, and central figure throughout the show. She is supported by Simon Carroll Jones and Pepa Duarte as her judo assistants, but Jackson is the only real character and the only person who is involved in the narrative. As the show progresses more and more people are introduced through over the top and campy professional wrestler entrances, and they serve as an audience on the stage who watch the judo demonstrations and then put these into practice.
I found this show confusing. We are told disparate and seemingly almost random moments from Jacksons life, with us returning multiple times to some of them, such as her mother being yelled at in a shop, and a drunken altercation she had with a drunk woman in her youth. These perhaps could be linked together through no member of the general public intervening or getting involved, but a later section detailing Jackson attending a judo competition and not getting a medal seems entirely disconnected. The strongest throughline of this show is the judo demonstrations, but these were the weakest elements of the show. They felt almost self-indulgent and certainly went on for too long. There is the possibility of reading into these moments as being about women coming together to learn how to protect themselves, or women building a community, or perhaps the importance of learning new skills and exercising. There is not a strong enough connection between these moments and the rest of the show to make them worth sitting through.
One highlight of the show for me, was Isobel Odelola who played the drums live on stage. This live percussion gave extra oomph to the show and her timing was impeccable throughout. The Jamie Lloyd-esque live video streaming being projected on the wall at the back of the stage was also very well done and added some extra interest to the performance. However, the wrestling introductions and general wrestling motif of the set and title of the show left me bewildered. Perhaps judo is also referred to as wrestling, but the wrestling aesthetic seems to just be that. An interesting visual and new way of getting people on stage, but ultimately, I did not see how any of this connected to the rest of the show.
In conclusion, I simply did not understand this performance and I do not think it was successful in either entertaining or in getting any message across. Some dramaturgical highlights are sadly not enough for me to recommend this show.
WRESTLELADSWRESTLE played at the Battersea Arts Centre from 4th – 8th March.