Review: ASKING FOR IT, The REP Birmingham

Louise O'Neill's award-winning 2015 novel, Asking For It, has been adapted for the stage by playwright Meadhbh McHugh, and received its UK premiere at The REP Birmingham last night, following great success in its country of origin in 2018.

Never has a production and its subject matter been so prevalent as this one, which hones in on rape and sexual abuse. The #MeToo movement recently catapulted the topic of sexual consent onto a global platform and gave many women the confidence to speak out about past traumatic experiences. Asking For It has been written to provoke a reaction and it does this is an enormous way, making it an incredibly important piece of writing.

O'Neill's story centres on popular 18-year-old Emma, whose life is changed forever after an evening out spirals dramatically and dangerously out of control. The first half focuses on the lead up to the horrific event, whilst Act Two deals with the aftermath. Annabelle Comyn's direction is inspired and respectfully interprets O'Neill's sensitive writing on stage.

Paul O'Mahony's set design appears simple on first impressions, but what is demonstrated as the show unfolds is how it works completely and harmoniously with the lighting and video design. A box type structure is split and reconfigured to create different environments and the second half in Emma's home kitchen is given a very clever set-up.

Sinead Mckenna's lighting design speaks in both bold and understated languages - from using a bright colour palette to reflect the original party atmosphere in Act One to a more stark, clinical state for much of the second half when dealing with the repercussions of the incident. The isolated, tight states on Emma at times are completely stunning and vulnerable in equal measure.

Video design is difficult to do well and, as such, Jack Phelan's detailed product must be applauded. It is not placed unnecessarily; everything projected is there for a reason and assists in the mood of the piece. From the lingering shadows during the party to the almost constant rain on the panels in Emma's house, this is one of the best uses of video in a stage production that I have seen in a long time.

The ensemble is made up of an entirely Irish company of actors, many of whom created roles in the original production. Lauren Coe leads the cast as Emma and her performance absolutely broke my heart as the show progressed, especially when she doesn't receive any support from her parents (played superbly by Dawn Bradfield and Simon O'Gorman respectively), who believe that she should keep quiet and move on to save face in such a small community.

I don't recall ever feeling so angry at the end of a show, and this is down to both the writing and performances. To provoke such a reaction in me speaks volumes.

The 12-strong cast are energised and committed to the hard-hitting topics of the piece and all play an equal part in bringing this important play to life. O'Neill said herself that she wrote the book to start a conversation, and this will have audiences talking for a long time to come.

Asking For It plays at The REP Birmingham until 15 February