Review: THE APOLOGISTS, VAULT Festival

A Secretary of State for Health and Social Care requests a white doctor when her daughter is rushed to a hospital. A travel blogger posts a review which leads to the suicide of the venue's owner. The Head of Safeguarding of a prominent aid organisation urges a true apology from the CEO after he delivers an insincere one.

The Apologists is a collection of three monologues written by Iskandar Sharazuddin (Excuses), Cordelia O'Neill (Seven, The Sweetest Hour), and Lucinda Burnett (New Universe). Directed by Jane Moriarty and performed by Gabrielle Scawthorn, the piece is an analysis of the inner workings of public apology and the gut response to it.

By putting together the different experiences of the women involved in the acts portrayed, the company highlights the blurred lines between guilt and self-preservation, shining a light on the contradictions of public image and personal figure, and the price of saying sorry.

The show presents homogenous writing paired with a brilliant performance by Scawthorn. She introduces her characters subtly changing her posture and tone of voice, interweaving the public and private intentions of the roles she embodies. Shame and the need to justify themselves take over in Excuses and New Universe while Seven, The Sweetest Hour pictures a horrific world of fakeness and materialism.

Albeit being conceived by various playwrights, the monologues fit closely like pieces of a puzzle, distinct but compatible in their timbre and aim. Moriarty has Scawthorn dressed elegantly in grey, her hair in a tight bun, and the only change in-between acts is the pair of shoes she wears. This attracts the attention to the similarities of the characters, tying them together in their fate.

An impressive success for Australian-born Unlikely Productions, who assemble a poignant and thought-provoking line-up of talent.

The Apologists runs at VAULT Festival until 24 February.