My ticket to see Julie resembled an invite to a birthday party, promising a live DJ and that I would be greeted by ‘partygoers’ upon entry to the Pilch. This was the first play I’ve ever been to where I was offered a ‘free shot’ on entry (I politely declined). Combined with the muted thumping of the DJ set spilling out of the Pilch, it added to the feeling of arriving at a lively house party.
I was a few minutes early to the show and one of the first people to enter. I was greeted by a stage flanked by a dance floor. Some of the cast members were eagerly getting into the DJ set, moving between the stage and the dance floor, clearly acting out the drunken latter stages of a house party. They encouraged me to get involved, dance, and generally enjoy myself.
As this pre-show ‘party’ continued and more guests arrived, I began to lose track of which dancers were cast members and which were people here to see the show; the cast members glided effortlessly from group to group, remaining in character, asking people to dance with them, and repeating the question: have you seen Julie? – before drifting back over to the alcohol cupboard to grab another drink.
Of course, generating an exciting atmosphere in such a situation relies on the audience being willing to get involved, though a strong cast would be expected to create an atmosphere in which being immersed feels like the default. They did this well, encouraging those who remained seated to come and dance, get involved and loosen up. Given this was opening night, too, I am sure they will develop new tricks to build the atmosphere as the week goes on. Overall it was a fun idea, and a novel approach that tests the boundaries of student theatre. Julie, though, is not for the faint of heart. Or the socially awkward.
The play itself does, admittedly, fall flat in some respects. The dialogue takes a while to get going, and while the most emotional scenes are delivered with passion and gusto, unfortunately some stretches of the play feel a tad dragged out. Much of this, though, probably falls at the feet of the writing of the play, an adaptation of Strindberg’s classic Miss Julie, and are complaints that have been levelled elsewhere.
The lively pre-play atmosphere is also absent most of the way through, as much of the action takes place away from the main party and the music becomes muffled. Our one return to the lively houseparty, despite being well choreographed, does feel a tad random and out of place in the context of the story. Where it is used though, the music is used well; when it finally turns off, the silence we experience is an eerie reminder of the intimacy of the situation.
What Rosie Morgan-Males’ interpretation of Stenham’s play does do excellently though is use the Pilch’s space. We remain immersed in the party throughout, despite feeling like unwelcome onlookers on a private affair, via the ensemble’s occasional off-stage hysterics, which serve well to remind us of the secretive nature of the action we are looking in on. Further to this, the audience being on all sides means that Julie (Catherine Claire), Jean (Rufus Shutter), and Kristina (Hafeja Khanam) face an uphill battle to ensure that all onlookers get a true sense of what our characters are going through. They do well, constantly turning to face different corners of the audience – and the Pilch is a perfect venue for such a play so reliant on feeling close to the characters and their emotions.
Special commendations must go to Khanam, who steals the show in her eviscerating monologue towards the end of the play. She captures excellently the frustration of the one character we feel some sympathy towards by the end of the night’s events. The chemistry between the characters throughout the play is also strong: Claire and Shutter, as the only two people present for most of the play, are convincing in their execution of the descent of their relationship into toxicity..
The play is a chaotic watch, too. Possibly in a similar vein to Saltburn, Julie plays on the stereotypes of the excesses of the upper classes, with its fair share of out of touch comments and jaw dropping scenes (don’t ask me what happens to Julie’s bird). All in all, Julie is fun and unique, and the take on Polly Stenham’s play provides an atmosphere that is a blast if you are willing to make the most of it.
