A searing look in to the reality of reality television.
The Edit, produced by Legit Theatre Co and Unlikely Productions and playing at 25A, is the tocsin the TV industry needs. With raw storytelling and powerful performances, it brings the murky underworld of reality television to light, cleverly unpacking the power struggle between dating show producers and their image-driven talent. It showcases how each entity manipulates their position to win at all costs, with differing regard for the harm this mentality causes others.
Writer/director Gabrielle Scawthorn imbues her lived experience with and deep understanding of reality television into the story. Nia (Iolanthe) has just been accepted to Match or Snatch, the UK’s most popular dating show. Producer Jess (Matilda Ridgway) is either by her side or watching her every step. The dynamic between the two fluctuates as Nia progresses through the show, and as the on-screen narrative and off-screen reality become more divergent. As the secrets they withhold from one another are revealed, one question persists: just how far will each character go to get what they want?
Scawthorn’s script is equal parts shocking, layered, and darkly comic. It is shocking in its authenticity. The neglect, immorality, and commodification of people and relationships inherent to reality television is well-known. But Scawthorn offers more by taking these to the extreme. The world of reality TV is familiar to the audience, but its intensity is not – and by emphasising the latter, her themes resonate.
The plot also unravels beautifully. The more we learn about Nia and Jess, the more we come to question them. That is of course partly due to Iolanthe and Ridgeway’s stunning performances. Iolanthe takes on a character who experiences immense personal, physical, and mental challenges as her reality TV dream becomes a nightmare. And she rises to the occasion, capturing Nia’s development and duplicitous nature well. Her golden run continues. Ridgway plays her character’s more subdued but just as shady status with great effect. The way Jess’s complexity unfurls is immensely satisfying.
In addition to its authenticity and layers, there is also a twisted humour to the work. The expectations placed on reality show contestants, to look stick thin or play up the stereotypes of their ethnicity, often form the basis for this. Such jokes are smartly positioned in the script, eliciting both gasps and genuine laughter. In her directorial role (aided by Associate Directors Nancy Denis and Eloise Snape), Scawthorn utilises such positioning to manage the tension or reveal more about the characters, which is useful.
Production elements veer on excessive at times. Interludes between scenes feature elaborate lighting and other displays which break up the snappiness of the show and don’t add much. But nevertheless, The Edit is a tour de force display of the world of reality TV. It offers moments of humanity, moments of distortion, and moments of accountability (or lack thereof). We can choose which of these to engage with. But we cannot choose the limited consent reality programs offer their participants, or the life-altering consequences which ensue.
