A
nyone organizing a far-right festival would undoubtedly prioritize monitoring their guest list. Anna and Eireni would immediately raise suspicion, not due to their newly formed lesbian relationship or their inclusive leftist beliefs. Sure, these traits could be giveaways, but they can be easily concealed. No, what would truly expose these two student infiltrators is their striking wholesomeness.
In Debbie Hannan’s captivating production for Broccoli Arts, the characters Eireni (disguised as “salty” Irina) portrayed by Yasemin Özdemir, and Anna (traveling as Anna-Maria) portrayed by Hannah Van Der Westhuysen, are exceptionally well-mannered, articulate, and seemingly unscathed by life’s hardships. Any self-respecting fascist would immediately detect something amiss. It would take more than fashionable attire and clever aliases for these two to successfully deceive others.
However, they do manage to infiltrate undercover, although the experience turns out to be somewhat anticlimactic. In Eve Leigh’s play, they are driven to action by a series of brutal attacks on residents in their diverse neighborhood within an unnamed university town in northern Europe. They find it infuriating how the victims, regardless of their Lebanese, Senegalese, or Turkish backgrounds, are collectively blamed solely due to their foreignness. Determined to make a difference instead of standing idly by, Eireni and Anna agree to engage closely with their adversaries, with the aim of uncovering the culprits behind the attacks.
They are left even more appalled after their encounter with Jana (portrayed by Francesca Knight), a far-right official who advocates for political assimilation and respectability over violence. It echoes the strategies employed by figures like Marine Le Pen and their quest for mainstream acceptance. Although their meeting ends in a horrific manner, it imparts a valuable lesson on the significance of everyday resistance.
Salty Irina, written in a narrative and dialogue combination, initially captivates with its enigmatic style, but gradually adopts a more conventional approach. Regardless of whether the play is inspired by true events, it shares a well-intentioned story from a certain distance. While the play’s heart is in the right place, the true political action lies elsewhere.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
