The second of this year’s Third Year Acting Students’ productions introduces us to Joy Wilkinson’s The Sweet Science of Bruising – in other words, women’s boxing. And whilst today we see it as a modern development in the sport, who knew that its roots went back to the nineteenth century? Championed by “The Professor” – Charlie Sharp, an early example of a boxing promoter, we find out about the four women who together shared the self-styled title of Lady Boxing Champion of the World.
At the heart of the play are four women from very different backgrounds who find strength and empowerment in the boxing ring. Their passion, skill, strength, and competitiveness enable them to assert themselves within a misogynistic society that refuses to allow them to be anything other than either demure ladies or providers of, shall we say, intimate services to gentlemen. They are surrounded by suffocating menfolk, stick-in-the-mud traditionalists or violent partners; and each finds their own achievement through their own struggle.
It’s a very thoughtful and intelligent play and provides some superb characters for the Third Year Students to lose themselves in. This play does not so much seek out the comedic talents of the performers but more their ability to inhabit truly dramatic and emotional roles. And they rise to this challenge terrifically. Many of them also need to acquire boxing skills! And the level of convincing stage combat in this production is excellent, from the movement of a punch to the sound of it hitting its target, to the flooring of its victim – it was all superbly done.
The characterisations of the four women are particularly impressive. Sophie Lawlor is spellbinding as the nurse Violet Hunter, both at home with her posher relatives at the theatre and working alongside her half-hearted doctor colleague (an entertaining performance from Roman Norman). The balance she needs to keep between healing people (as a nurse) and hurting people (as a pugilist) is very clearly and often agonisingly portrayed.
Millie Metcalfe gets all the attitude right in her portrayal of good time girl Matty, courting any stray gentlemen who might chance her way, such as the loathsome Gabriel (a remarkably strong villainous performance from Ben Lole) who is married to the ignored and abused Anna, played by Sadie Douglas with a mixture of upper class pleasantry and sheer determined guts as displayed in her guise as the boxer The Angel of Death.
The fourth woman is Polly Stokes, an outstanding performance from Sasha Wallett, full of energy and drive. Polly is a working class fighter in love with Paul; they box each other as a brother-and-sister outfit but she’s easily a match for him. They agree that marriage will not change anything but this doesn’t materialise; her skill in the ring does no good for Paul’s status or self-confidence, powerfully portrayed in another strong performance from Jorin Beaumont.
Linking the entire play together is a commanding performance from Richard Akindele as the Professor, creating a fully realised character out of what could otherwise be a plain narrator role. And there’s yet another great performance from Emma Luff in her two roles as Violet’s Aunt George, a rather severe elderly Victorian dowager, and Nancy, Anna’s maid, requiring two very different accents and characterisations, both perfectly expressed.
A very fine performance which held the audience’s attention superbly – a cliché I know, but at many times you could literally hear a pin drop. The overall acting standard is of a very high quality and you would not know this cast wasn’t fully professional. I enjoyed it tremendously – congratulations to all!
Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows