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Whether it’s the girl running burned by napalm in Vietnam, the woman being shot in the heart during election protests in Iran, or the man beaten on his way home by police during the G20 summit protests in London, a single image can stay with us. In her new play, Elinor Cook grapples admirably with the way images can quickly become symbols for a conflict and how they work for and against a situation, manipulating, distorting and galvanising.
Cook’s chorus – which at different points in the play is a cackle of internet voices, a group of protesters, and a huddle of undercover policemen – tells us how a woman in a yellow dress was shot during protests and a video of the exact moment has gone viral. We never discover where or when this is – it reminds us of Iran, Egypt, China and much closer to home. The play isn’t about one country; it’s about how we react impulsively to the things we see and feel. By never naming the place, Cook suggests that our increasingly standard reactions to social media (rarely to question, always to share), protests and uprisings can eclipse a wider context.
The play follows the boy who posts the video online, a woman caught up in violence which has come about because of the footage, and an elderly rich lady abroad prompted into doing something to help. ‘Image of an Unknown Young Woman’ is brimming with ideas about the world we live in today, how we process information and what we can and can’t trust. It’s a promising premise and at times the play is a fascinating, troubling mirror image of us.
Christopher Haydon turns the Gate stage into a kind of thrust catwalk for his enjoyably bolshy production. On a black stage, yellow lights flash overhead, touches of police tape adorn the floor and the cast change scenes and characters fluidly. The performances are excellent, with the chorus – Oliver Birch, Emilie Patry and Isaac Ssebandeke – managing to make their cipher characters both entertaining and convincing.
For all its exploration of uprising, propaganda, compassion and action, ‘Image of an Unknown Young Woman’ ultimately doesn’t quite provide the payoff it needs. But it’s an adroit attempt at addressing vital contemporary issues, which is something that’s definitely worth applauding.