Veronica’s Score: 5 Stars
Let me leap right in and say Prima Facie is an astonishingly rich and refined work. A triptych of female artists at the top of their game – playwright Suzie Miller, director Lee Lewis, and performer Sheridan Harbridge bring us this brilliant one-woman now on the Griffin stage. An unflinching look at our legal system; this piece has a lot to say about how it fails and whom it fails with the focus being women seeking justice for sexual violence.
There is a simple set by Renée Mulder – an ergonomic chair on a small raised platform – and in a spotlight, we meet thirty-something criminal lawyer Tessa (Harbridge). The story is told entirely from her point of view.
Originally slated as a vehicle for actor Kate Mulvany, Harbridge makes the most of her opportunity. She builds a credible and heroic portrait of a smart, working-class girl from the suburbs. Tessa has done all the heavy lifting herself, and when we first meet her, it seems meritocracy has worked. She is one of the best and the brightest and can only look forward to a glittering career. She is also self-aware enough to know she is a good player of the “game of law,” but she is about to go through a much darker experience on the other side. When she is violated and decides to pursue a charge of rape against a well-connected colleague, it upends every notion she had about the world she thought she lived in. It is a challenging role, vocally as well as emotionally, and Harbridge is always in control, even with the escalating demands of the text.
Lewis’ crackling, clear-sighted direction steers the play confidently through some disturbing material, and her insight helps shape the gutsy, committed performance unfolding before us. She is so very good at what she does.
A former legal eagle, Miller, has said the play has been “percolating” in her mind for decades. Her writing bears the stamp of authenticity in every line, in every depiction of a character Tessa interacts with and is satisfying in its treatment of class (the latter often lacking in new Australian plays). The fate of her protagonist also questions how transformative the #Me Too movement has been and reinforces how much work there is still to do.
Rarely has a standing ovation at curtain call felt so natural and no doubt the production will receive more of the same as the season continues. Still apart from accolades I’m confident it will attract, I’m sure all involved would like to think punters will walk out into Nimrod Street with more empathy towards sexual assault survivors.
And yes, word will get out. I predict this will be a sold-out season. Get a ticket sooner rather than later.
Veronica Hannon – Theatre Nowiminal lawyer at the top of her game who knows the law permits no room for emotion.
To win, you just need to believe in the rules. And Tessa loves to win, even when defending clients accused of sexual assault. Her court-ordained duty trumps her feminism. But when she finds herself on the other side of the bar, Tessa is forced into the shadows of doubt she’s so ruthlessly cast over other women.
Turning Sydney’s courts of law into a different kind of stage, Suzie Miller’s (Sunset Strip, Caress/Ache) taut, rapid-fire and gripping one-woman show exposes the shortcomings of a patriarchal justice system where it’s her word against his.
Maybe we need a new system.
