REVIEW: In the Net on the Jermyn Street Theatre

The sense of neighborhood has loved a brand new lease of life in recent times. Covid, the price of dwelling disaster and refugees fleeing persecution have created a community of neighborhood carers. They pull collectively to create a protected setting for many who enter their orbit. We can see human nature at its best as neighborhood heals and nurtures change. Such themes are explored on this new play written by Misha Levkov. The cosy confines of the Jermyn Street Theatre echo with sounds of a vibrant interior metropolis panorama. Police sirens, site visitors and energetic vocal exchanges present the soundtrack because the story begins.

Laura (Carlie Diamond) is coming to phrases with the demise of her mom Myriam. Half-sister Anna (Anya Murphy) now shares a deeper bond as each have misplaced their mom. Their father Harry (Hywel Simons) is anxious to promote the household residence in Kentish Town and begin a brand new life on the coast. However, Laura has different concepts and plans a tribute to Myriam along with her personal model of Eruv, a follow employed underneath Jewish legislation, the place a wire boundary extends the non-public area of households into public areas on the Sabbath.

The grieving daughter places her personal secular spin on Eruv by making a protected house for all; a spot the place individuals can discover friendship, help and a real sense of neighborhood. They start to assemble their Eruv though they meet opposition alongside the way in which. It turns into a haven for Hala (Suzanne Ahmet), a Syrian refugee who’s sponsored by the household. However, her proper to asylum is questioned by the authorities, significantly an immigration officer (Tony Bell) who’s investigating her software.

In the Net is an clever, considerate and well-acted piece that undoubtedly makes the viewers suppose ‘exterior the field’. It is visually arresting with a community of wires sweeping throughout the stage in act two. Some wonderful use of sunshine and shade additionally creates an atmospheric glow. It raises many questions, and is straightforward to surprise what’s actual and what’s imagined in these characters’ lives; is the online symbolic of a really perfect but to be realised? Those unfamiliar with Judaism can also battle with the idea of Eruv. It slows the narrative down and is the play’s one actual weak spot. However, perseverance has its reward, and what emerges is a strong manufacturing from a playwright with nice potential.

Review by Brian Penn