Theatre review: Broadening

BROADENING by Glass Doll Productions
Run: Now until May 11

A non-linear tale of authority, compliance and manipulation based on the Stanford social experiments, Peter Dunne’s Broadening examines the dangers of unquestioned power, particularly when it comes from a seemingly trustworthy source.
Taking place in the Project’s Cube, the set cleverly evokes a sinister clinicism. The walls are covered in coldly medicinal white plastic; a material favoured by medical practitioners and murderers. It’s a decoration of erasure; in this room, any mistakes or accidents can be easily cleaned away. The central staging also adds to the theme, deliberately placing the audience in the role of the participating voyeur.
Michelle McMahon plays the experiment’s leader, an enigmatic but commanding figure whose motivations remain unclear. Peter Dunne’s script gives nuanced, tantalising glimpses into the motivations of the experiments’ participants, and the entire cast give excellent performances. As the flighty, attention-seeking Sophie, Genevieve Hulme-Beaman provides most the play’s few laughs, while Jamie O’Neill and Robert Bannon knock heads as an aggressive alpha-male and malleable ladies’ man, respectively. Of the experiment’s participants, Anna Shiels-McNamee proves the most engaging performer. Vulnerable and co-dependent, references to an ailing parent hint at oppressive personal pressure, and insecurities that manifest as an irrepressible desire to please and obey. They prove the perfect subjects for McMahon’s simulated family; but as her experiment begins to spin wildly out of control, the vulnerabilities of all the characters are unveiled and heightened to a dangerous degree.
The impact of the fascinating issues regarding authority and compliance can too often depend on the audience’s own knowledge of the subject matter. While psychology buffs will reap the rewards of subtle references to a series of social experiments conducted at Stanford University – from the obvious homage to the well-known Prison experiment to the fleeting nod to the Marshmallow experiment’s insight into delayed gratification – some of the subtler layers may be lost. While Dunne succeeds in creating an unnerving atmosphere through his brief, impressionistic scenes that are punctuated by the flicker of florescent lights; the non-linear timeline feels like an unnecessary gimmick. The omniscient but unexplained nature of the writing also leaves several major plot points very unclear, its incoherence the dampening overall impact of the play’s message
The script is most effective when both the exposition and the characters’ experiences are clear enough that the audience can examine both what’s happening on stage and their own feelings – rather than be occupied with trying to infer the chronology of the action. In one of the play’s most powerful scenes, volunteer researcher Chris (Clare Monnelly ) expresses that most women would grow fearful if left alone with a large group of men. When challenged to explain why she would trust one man but not many, she grows silent, unable and unwilling to explain. But the thought and her obvious discomfort lingers with the audience, who are forced to confront their own innate understanding of mob mentality and the underlying power dynamics of gender relations.
Though its structure and short run-time lends itself to more style than substance, there are very interesting ideas here, elevated by an excellent cast and innovative staging. Had the script been more generous to its audience instead of trying to be clever-clever, the inevitable post-show analyses would have been even more thought-provoking.

For more information and booking, see [link]projectartscentre.ie/programme/whats-on/1744-broadening[/link]