Ruckus – Traverse Theatre

Jenna Fincken’s revival of her one woman show, which premiered during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022, is timely. Violence against women was recently declared a ‘national emergency’. Two million women a year are estimated to be victims of violence by men. Nearly 1.4 million women are victims of domestic violence.

Fincken has written and performs this intriguing, thought-provoking drama. We in the audience are her confidants, and she promises to tell us ‘everything’. She starts with 824 days ‘to go’ and this is emphasised by the projection of a countdown clock.

Lou is a primary school teacher in her late 20s. She meets Ryan at an engagement party for her friend, Jess. Ryan is a manager at a homeless charity. He seems a really great guy, charming and considerate. When Lou gets drunk on their first date, he refuses to take advantage of her, and declines her suggestion to go back to his place for sex. She calls him a ‘prick’ for his troubles, but later apologises and they meet again.

In the early stages of their relationship, it seems Lou has found the perfect boyfriend. They move to Newquay where Lou (always called ‘Louise’ by Ryan) secures a deputy headship. At first everything seems idyllic. But then things start to take a darker turn.

Ryan is quick to take offence and resents Lou’s friendship with Jesse, getting irritated when she mentions Jess’s holiday in Paris. All Lou seems to do is work, cook and clean.  Four months in Newquay and they haven’t even been to the sea yet. Ryan tells her to be happy with what she’s got, and to stop trying to compete with Jess.

Gradually things get worse. When Ryan eventually agrees to let her go away for a weekend with Jess, her friend kisses her on the lips and sends the photo to Ryan. Lou explains and Ryan seems fine, but later Lou finds her father’s photo ripped up.

Ryan switches off Lou’s alarm so she sleeps in and is late for school. Then he complains when she wears the blouse she wore on their first date: “When you wore that last time, you were trying to get a shag”.  That evening he apologises, says he hates himself, and promises not to do that again.

Lou and Ryan go to Jess’s wedding to Charlie, but Ryan is jealous when Lou kisses the groom. The he starts criticising Lou and is rude to Charlie. Lou has told Jess about Ryan’s behavior and she and her other friends are worried about her.

Ryan keeps telling Lou her breath smells. Later her dentist tells her this is untrue and her breath is fine.

Lou decides to go to her mother for a weekend. Ryan says life wouldn’t be worth living without her. He says he’ll harm himself if she leaves.  She stays.

Later she tells Jess they’re in a really good place now. Lou says she can’t see her life without Ryan.

When he finds out she was offered a job in London, Ryan accuses Lou of trying to leave him. When driving fast along the motorway, he terrifies her by turning off the car’s engine, almost causing a fatal accident. Later Ryan seems calm, but Lou discovers he’s killed her pet hamster. Lou seriously thinks about leaving but where can she go? He’d just follow her to her mum’s or Jess’s, and she doesn’t want to get Ryan into trouble by going to the police. So she decides to stay.

The details of the psychological abuse are based on the experiences of Fincken herself, her friends and her extensive research. It is all too clear where Ryan’s coercive control is leading. But Ryan doesn’t lay a finger on Lou for the first 16 months of their relationship. While sparing us potentially traumatising violence, Fincken is nevertheless warning us that abusers don’t necessarily reveal right from the start signs of how dangerous they could become. And in some ways it is even more troubling to contemplate that someone like Ryan, apparently the ideal boyfriend, could become an abuser.

Jenna Fincken’s performance is riveting. At the start she is light-hearted and amusing, but we also see her upset and angry when she is passed over for promotion at her first primary school. Lou comes over as a strong modern woman but gradually we see her emotional turmoil as she tells us her harrowing story. Fincken also shows her versatility by playing all but one of the other characters in the play.

Although Fincken is the only actor we see, Ryan, convincingly played by Matthew Durkan, is heard in frequent voiceovers. Georgia Green sensitively directs. Jenna Fincken’s excellent movement is skilfully directed by Christina Fulcher. Naomi Shanson’s good stage management; Reuben Cohen’s imaginative video design; Simeon Miller’s effective lighting and projection; and Tingying Dong’s eerie sound all help to create the claustrophobic, trapped environment essential for this outstanding production.

Reviewer: Tom Scott

Reviewed: 1st October 2024

North West End UK Rating: