The task of discussing broad, abstract topics like ‘goodness’ is hard enough on print, let alone on stage and, as I sat down on my seat, with a cloying tune playing in the background, I sensed a sort of theatrical romcom was in the offing.
My expectations, however, were to be pleasantly disappointed. For, whilst retaining a friendly and sobering atmosphere, writer-cum-protagonist Tina Senderholm achieves something far more complex. Using her own life story, from pious child to driven equestrian to man-hunting bachelorette, as a backdrop, she manages to put forward an agreeably peculiar vision on the pointlessness of being ‘good’.
According to Senderholm, goodness is not something natural. Rarely does it bring any benefits, particularly as far as the individual who shows it is concerned. Rather, it is a fictitious construct perpetrated by parents and religion (and perhaps the latter’s failure in the play explains the title’s allusion to Professor Dawkins’ bestselling work). A split-personality struggle à la Jekyll and Hyde then ensues, with Senderholm finally realising that the side of her she previously called ‘evil’ is, in fact, nothing but herself.
But despite allowing the development of meaningful and novel ideas, the light-hearted framework seems to hamper any deeper philosophical development. Granted, ‘goodness’ may be of little worth to the individual, but what about its impact on others? What would happen to our search for success if we were just to ‘be ourselves’ for the rest of our life? The final metaphor of the play, that we should live our lives as a dog would, fails to tie up the loose ends raised throughout the production. A more substantial conclusion may be too much to ask of a 50-minute play, but Senderholm’s message is almost as shallow as the myth she sets out to demystify. One wonders whether ‘The Good Delusion’’s lack of ambition is in fact a consequence of the conduct Senderholm advocates.
And yet, even by evoking such an obscure and seldom-pondered issue, the production achieves its main objective: the re-definition of what is ‘good’ for oneself, putting members of the audience in a state of self-examination as they leave the venue. This being the final performance, one feels the central theme could have been more developed, and the production extended. Nonetheless, Sederholm’s performance conveys an equivocal point with great humour and charisma which, despite some slight aesthetic flaws, made the experience well worth the hour and eight pounds spent.
The Good Delusion returns to Oxford on 22-23 May at the Old Fire Station, George Street.
