Review: PRIVATE VIEW, Soho Theatre

The last year or so have often been described online as London’s ‘lesbian renaissance’. Now adding to the sapphic canon is Jess Edwards’ Private View, a rom-com turned dark that explores codependency and opposition.

Private View begins with a meet-cute, if a slightly off-kilter one. A, a young physics PhD candidate (Patricia Allison) meets B, an older, wealthier photographer (Stefanie Martini) at an art exhibition, and they share a moment of, if not love, certainly intrigue. Over a series of chance encounters, their lives begin to intertwine, until they fall hard and fast and enter into an intense relationship. The play flickers between moments of seduction and excitement, encapsulating the thrill of a new romance, and something darker, more unsettling, and more uneven. 

One of the most interesting aspects of this play is the way it deals in contrasts. Edwards delves into the real world conflicts that arise from differences in class, age, and race, as well as examining the eternal contest between art and science. A’s project on atoms that collide and merge, as well as B’s photographic practice of illuminating darkness and nakedness, are less character details and more key facets of the narrative. Edwards’ script is deceptively seductive and seductively deceptive, turning a love story into something more interesting.

In fact, its primary weakness is the moments where the story becomes too predictable, falling into tropes and familiar story beats, and sliding into moments of melodrama. As the story reaches its climax, there are moments where Martini’s character becomes too unlikeable, and exaggeratedly malevolent – it is her earlier scenes that allow us to root for and empathise with the character.

Director Annie Kershaw handles the uneasy tension of the script deftly, building on the play’s frenetic energy. This is a tricky piece tonally, but the creative team manage to balance the sensual fantasy of the play’s earlier scenes with a sensitive approach towards themes of abuse and coercion. A special mention must also go to Ingrid Mackinnon’s movement and intimacy work, a brilliant example of how to evoke a lot while showing very little.

This stylishness is carried through into the design work, especially Catja Hamitlon’s lighting and Josh Anio Grigg’s sound design. Both are subtle but sustained, building a distinctive visual and auditory world in which the play can unfurl. Scenes of photography sessions and crackling atoms are well-executed and show real creativity with how light and sound can be used to strengthen a story. Georgia Wilmot’s costumes feel rooted in reality, especially when it comes to the boxy, Scandinavian silhouettes worn by Martini’s wealthier character. 

Both cast members excel in what are pretty challenging roles: these characters go through a tidal wave of different emotions, and taking the audience with them on this ride can be no easy task. Allison is believable and grounded throughout, while Martini’s more theatrical, deliberating style makes for a compelling dynamic. Individually strong, it is nonetheless their chemistry that makes this play so watchable. 

In a queer theatre scene often dominated by stories of and by gay men, it’s refreshing to see a show so centred on queer women, both on and off stage. With a mostly sapphic team, and a story that hones in on experiences and dynamics somewhat specific to lesbian relationships, Private View is proving that queer female stories have a place on London stages, and an excited audience.

Private View runs at Soho Theatre (Upstairs) until 20 December