It’s funny until it’s not… a stylish production that deals with haunting themes.
For me, the most rewarding theatre isn’t the kind that neatly ties everything together, but rather the kind that challenges you, stays with you and demands to be unpacked afterwards. Irregular Programming’s production of Dealing with Clair, playing at the Old Fitz, does exactly that.
Inspired by the 1986 unsolved disappearance of London real estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, Martin Crimp’s Dealing with Clair is a darkly funny and deeply unsettling examination of morality, hypocrisy and the blood-sport of the housing market. Mike (Arkia Ashraf) and Liz (Talia Benatar) are selling their four-bedroom home, determined to behave honourably by accepting the first offer that meets their asking price. But when a mysterious buyer James (Daniel Fletcher) arrives with the promise of cash and a faster settlement, their principles begin to erode. At the centre of it all is Clair (Olivia Hall-Smith), the young real estate agent managing the sale with unwavering professionalism, whose own life in a modest flat by the railway contrasts the ambitions of those around her.
Harry Reid‘s direction is sleek, allowing Crimp’s razor-sharp script to shine. The humour is abundant and genuinely laugh-out-loud, but it never undercuts the creeping sense of unease that hangs over the play. Crimp’s writing is brilliantly cyclical, exposing the contradictions between what the characters claim to value and how they ultimately behave. Conversations and justifications fold back on themselves, revealing the hypocrisy beneath polite civility. His plays rarely offer easy resolutions, which can divide audiences, but when staged with a high level of precision, the ambiguity becomes thrilling.
The cast is uniformly excellent. Every performer fully inhabits their role, with spot-on accents and sharply observed characterisations that make each relationship feel authentic. Ashraf and Benatar capture Mike and Liz’s increasingly transparent contradictions with nuance, making their performances both hilarious and painfully recognisable. As the Italian au-pair Anna, Jade Fuda is perfectly dead-pan, serving scathing glares that never falter. Bayley Prendergast effortlessly slips between the multiple roles of Vittorio, Toby and Ashley, giving each a distinct identity and energy. Hall-Smith provides an assured and grounded presence as Clair, the story’s moral centre, making the play’s haunting conclusion all the more affecting. Fletcher is particularly captivating as James as he subtly shifts from a seemingly harmless oddball into a predator. He lures audiences in with his awkward banter and slightly invasive questioning of Clair that feels all too familiar to women, before ‘snapping’ a sinister undercurrent of violence into focus.
Visually the production is just as impressive. Soham Apte‘s set is elegant in its simplicity: a neutral living space with semi-transparent sliding doors, punctuated by a distinctly 1980s dining setting that subtly reinforces the play’s world. Additionally, Izzy Morrissey‘s lighting design is striking. The illusion of trains rushing past Clair’s apartment is remarkably effective, while a creeping green, mould-like stain spreading across the corner of the set’s ceiling cleverly suggests a sense of decay. Floods of harsh red and blue neon transform the stage into something cold, threatening and psychologically charged, amplifying the play’s harrowing tone.
Ultimately, Harry Reid has crafted a compelling production that confidently blends ambiguity, and satire, leaving audiences with much to reflect on. Irregular Programming productions never fail to excite me!
