FLY-ON-THE-WALL documentaries are made by journalists to reveal the truth – but whose truth are we seeing? Andrew Riley was at the Whitefield Garrick to watch Sarah O’Connell’s début play on documentary film-making.
For a first play, Concrete Jungle really hits home just how hard the job of being not only a human being can be, but one who is a broadcast journalist to boot.
Writer Sarah O’Connell hits every nail she aims for, slap bang on the head. The direction by Naomi Jones is sparse, subtle and allows the players to really tell the two different sides of this wonderful tale, helped by the setting in the round at the Whitefield Garrick.
Natalia (Katy Federman) is an opinionated, Northern, working class journalist who longs to tell the truth.
Sadly, her London-based bosses are so cocooned in the media bubble, they wouldn’t know a real story if it hit them between the eyes.
All they want is shiny trophies for their shelves and self-congratulatory slaps on the back; and to make certain that those from the right schools, or with the right connections get the plum job.
After convincing her boss James (Shaun Hennessey) to allow her home to Leeds – to film drug dealers and addicts – for a one-off documentary, she is kept out of the loop as the project spirals into a three-part series, which will in the end bear no relevance to her original idea.
Natalia eventually gets local dealer Jay (Lladel Bryant) to open up to her about his business and why he does what he does, as well as getting to know a pair of junkies, Peter and Andy (played to twitching perfection by Michael Warrender and Rhys McDowall) as she documents their daily lives and troubles.
The more time she spends with them, the further away her London life begins to feel, and without giving too much away, she stops being objective, and begins to want to help those she should be filming.
O’Connell knows what she is talking about, having worked in current affairs as a broadcast journalist for over 16 years, and her masterful storytelling shines through in every line.
The empathy you feel with Natalia as she begins to realise that this documentary is not what she wants it to be is immense, and you could almost sympathise with her big boss, Verity (Portia Booroff) who only sees ratings as the bottom line.
I would recommend anyone who is thinking of a career in journalism to watch this, then think long and hard about what you want to do as a job. This play is powerful. Very powerful.
It’s hard to believe this play languished in a drawer for a number of years before seeing the light of day. It needs to be seen by a bigger audience, that’s for certain.
The Whitefield Garrick is easily reached, being almost opposite the Whitefield Metrolink stop, and I’d recommend getting to see this production sooner rather than later. Tickets are only £8/5 concessions and can be purchased here.
By Andrew Riley
@QuaysRL
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