Review: POOR CLARE, Orange Tree Theatre

“There is no middle ground”

Poor Clare, written by Chiara Atik and directed by Blanche McIntyre, tells the story of how Clare (Arsema Thomas) is influenced by fellow Assisi resident Francis (Freddy Carter) to abandon her life of riches and become devoted to God, founding the Order of Poor Ladies as a discipline of the soon-to-be Saint Francis.

The play opens with Clare getting her hair done in a complicated style by two of her servants, Peppa (Liz Kettle) and Alma (Jacoba Williams), discussing the concept of poverty and what can be done about it. 

The most interesting aspect of Poor Clare is that even though it is still set in 12th-century Assisi and mostly following the historical story of how Clare found her path to God, the dialogue is all modern, with plenty of Gen Z slang used by characters amongst the medieval costumes (designed by Eleanor Bull). Clare and her sister, Beatrice (Anushka Chakravarti), are constantly bickering and debating mantras like “I am wealthy, I am pious, I am in possession of a sizable dowry and any man in the kingdom would be lucky to have me.”

The main focus of Clare’s life is her impending marriage to an unknown suitor, though things start to change when she hears about a young man named Francis, the son of a silk merchant, who stripped himself naked in front of the Bishop, as a protest against the rich living in luxury while the poor suffer. 

Quickly, Clare and Francis become the central focus of the play, with the two of them verbally sparring over what it means to help those in need and what needs to be done in society for everyone to truly be happy. While Francis gave his past life up and is living in a church that he is renovating against the bishop’s wishes, Clare fears giving up the comforts of her current life, still trying to help those in need through clothes drives and food donations but realising that more needs to be done in order for change to be effective. This causes a rift between Clare, Beatrice and their mother, Ortolana (Hermione Gulliford), with Clare realising that she must soon make a choice about how the rest of her life will be lived. 

For a show about the path to sainthood and how to get rid of poverty in the world, Poor Clare is pretty hilarious and contains some incredibly witty dialogue. The fights between Clare and Beatrice are exactly what one might expect from siblings, with the pair arguing but quickly making up multiple times throughout the show. The humour really makes the more serious parts of the show more impactful, particularly one scene in which the women of the show are looking at the gifts Clare’s suitor has sent to her home, leading to a confrontation between one of the servants, Alma, and Ortolana. 

Thomas and Carter have fantastic chemistry as Clare and Francis, with both young people struggling to find their place in the world and having to make choices bigger than themselves, leaning on one another in their moments of doubt. Those who are familiar with the history of both Saint Francis and Saint Clare will enjoy some of the references made to the two, as well as references to how they will live their lives in the future, like how Clare ends up being responsible for the rope belt used by Franciscan monks.

Unfortunately, while Poor Clare has quite the interesting concept and some Great Performances, it feels as though Atik does not trust her audience, using dramatic monologues to make her points obvious instead of letting those watching the play do some of the work. The modern dialogue works in this particular show, but having Thomas dress as a nun and give a monologue as a prayer to God about a homeless man in Sephora really takes away from the impact of being in the 13th century for the rest of the show.

There is also a moment when a beggar (George Ormerod) gives the same speech that many of us have heard on public transport, apologising for wasting the time of others and begging for some amount of change. It pulls one out of the world that has been established, which is a shame as it is such a fascinating concept that Atik created.

 Poor Clare is a unique take on Saint Clare of Assisi’s journey, as well as that of Saint Francis, but it does a bit too much telling and not showing to make for a powerful performance. All of the actors, particularly Thomas and Carter, still give fantastic performances, making for an interesting one-act that flies by. 

Read our interview with Liz Kettle, who plays Peppa in Poor Clare here

Poor Clare runs until 9 August at the Orange Tree Theatre.