Theatre Review: Destiny, Dukes Theatre, Lancaster

Writer and performer Florence Espeut-Nickless starts this monologue in the style of one of those adolescent mobile phone conversations we all get to share in any public space. It’s delivered in a nerveless monotone, with barely a pause for breath. And what it goes on to depict is more likely the lived experience of too many thousands of other young women on a Saturday night out.

Destiny is embarking on an almost preordained life cycle of neglect, abuse, assault, rape, violence, grooming, exploitation – and repeat. It’s a seriously discomforting 60 minutes of theatre, delivered in the tuneless sing-song accent of its West Country setting.

Like so many other such solo plays addressing society’s ills it should be an integral part of Theatre In Education, directly addressing the audience it depicts and concerns.

This production has been extensively developed by a host of theatre companies and individuals, not least among them master theatre maker Tim Crouch.

Jenny Roxburgh’s lighting and Joseff Harris’s sound design are integral elements to Espeut-Nickless’s frantic performance. Just occasionally you might hope for a pause to her delivery, if only to grant time to process the flashing images of her character’s life.

Inevitably Destiny is swallowed up by the care system, and left with nothing more than the new friendships she makes with fellow freewheeling namesakes. Faith and Hope.

David Upton