Wormholes – The Other Palace

Dracunculus medinensis, otherwise known as the Guinea worm. After making its way into the human body, no symptoms of its presence are shown until (like many other things) it will start to eat you from the inside out.

‘Wormholes’ is a modern age, solo performance which I experienced at The Other Palace studio. It followed the story of a woman in a mental facility recalling her life and what had led her to the facility she is in now. The woman is interviewed and at first seems ordinary, regular. However, the further into this hour-long performance we experience, the more sympathetic we as an audience become.

Written by Emily Jupp, this show explores the theme of domestic abuse and raises awareness to the fact that such a heinous feat could happen to anyone. After we learn what happens between this wife and her husband, an audience is left wondering: Why isn’t he in there with her? Why is he not being punished?  And lastly, who is this woman?

The set is minimal, consisting of a stage covered with a white, plastic sheet on which a white chair sits. This all plays into the medical, controlled environment I believe this set was designed to portray. Dull, fear-inducing, low drones were played in moments of tension only adding to the sensational, chilling acting of Victoria Yeates.

The director Scott Le Crass has done an extraordinary job with this production, I truly felt immersed into the storyline throughout. It was decided to give Yeates the script in hand for the show which I believe is an incredibly clever decision, to an audience it reads that the character cannot remember the events herself and needs additional help to do so. This only makes me wonder if we are getting the true story of what happened…

Reviewer: Julia Panova

Reviewed: 16th October 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★