Great performances and dialogue but end-of-the-world framing feels unnecessary to tell the intimate story that makes up the best parts of the play
‘The Thing With Feathers’ explores the lives of Emily and Sue, a poet and artist who have been married to each other for 60 years. Its episodic structure alternates between their younger and older selves, allowing us to see their personalities and their relationship changing over time. ‘The Thing With Feathers’ is a short play, a series of snapshots into different moments in the couple’s lives. We see the two of them trying to get over creative blocks, their wedding, the moment they move into their house together etc
The staging really brings the us into the characters’ world, with the audience sitting on three sides around props like books, an easel, and a radio, marking out different parts of Emily and Sue’s house together.
Over time, they withdraw from the outside world. While the script does mention that this is because of an apocalypse of some sort, with dialogue referring to the clouds disappearing and protests, it doesn’t have time to really go into the end of the world, leaving that side of the piece a little too vague. I couldn’t help but feel like the depiction of their relationship with each other and their approaching deaths didn’t actually need this framing; it would have been just as powerful a piece, if not more, without it.
That said, I did enjoy the ambiguities throughout. Giulia Fincato’s dialogue is smart and subtle, her characters well-written and layered.
The four actresses are easily the best part of the play, with subtle, nuanced performances- especially through their facial expressions- that are always interesting to watch. As the performers interact more and more throughout the play, it gets better and better. The increasing interaction between the different settings is an interesting contrast with the increasing isolation of the characters, reinforced by the lighting and music.
My favourite scene was when all four performers were on stage at the same time in a split-screen style. I also thought the various tender moments between the characters (whichever age) were lovely, and I loved watching their chemistry together. That’s when ‘The Thing With Feathers’ is at its most focused best.