THEATRE: DIRTY BUTTERFLY

How many times can an abused wife return to her husband before we start to lose compassion for her? This is one of the confronting questions at the heart of Dirty Butterfly, the debut play by British-Jamaican Debbie Tucker Green, which first premiered in London in 2002. The play centres around three neighbours who share an uncomfortable intimacy through the paper-thin walls of their tenement housing. Amelia (Sara Zwangobani) and Jason (Dorian Nkono) listen to Jo (Zoe Houghton) being battered and abused with a combination of horror, frustration and voyeuristic interest. In the opening scene the three confront each other in a distinctive – and at times distancing – language that points to the universal truth about familiarity breeding contempt. In the second scene, a blood splattered Jo comes to Amelia for help and sympathy as Amelia goes about her minimum wage cleaning job. It’s this second scene that makes a real impact and showcases fantastic performances from Zwangobani and Houghton.  It’s a bruising experience for the audience, however its themes stay with you.

Until Aug 1, Belvoir St Downstairs, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills, $24-32, 9699 3444, belvoir.com.au

BY ALEX BODMAN