Sap

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Lazar has her kiss the soon-to-be girlfriend tenderly after having previously engaged in an intense balancing act with the man. It's a striking summary of Daphne's precarious equation. From the poetic elements of the writing and its visual allegories down to the staging and performances, Sap is a gem. Sap is a loose adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a tale of Apollo and Daphne – where Apollo’s obsession becomes increasingly intense and concerning. In the original tale, Daphne’s parents turn her into a plant whenever Apollo comes close. However, in Rafaella Marcus’ debut play Sap at Summerhall, this is reimagined metaphorically and the tale itself is grounded in modern sensibilities.

Jessica Clark plays this Daphne with a frantic edge – the character’s need to please makes words catapult out of her before she has time to think them through. Clark also does a remarkable job of finding light and shade in a text that is dense but has might. Centring on the experiences of bisexual women, who are significantly more likely than heterosexual and lesbian women to be abused by their partner, it blends the past with the reality of the present. Peppered with artful what-could-have-been moments and self-aware sides, this mammoth story is squeezed skilfully into 70 minutes – and for the most part, it drives. There’s a vicious circle because if you tend towards safer programming, you actually double down on the audience that you already have. You’re going with what’s tried and tested. You are de facto not inviting new people. The name ‘Daphne’ comes from the nymph in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, who, hotly pursued by Apollo, turns into a tree. In Sap, the silent lie takes root in Daphne’s subconscious and psyche until she too starts to turn into a tree with “bark like eczema.” As her relationship develops, the lie grows, and the stakes rise. The conceptual basis of this narrative also brings to mind the prose works of South Korean author, Han Kang. The Fruit of My Woman and The Vegetarian, tell of a young woman who, as a way to cope with a hostile environment and patriarchy, transforms into a plant. The arboreal language used in Sap to describe the growth of the tree that takes hold of Daphne’s body is poetic and entrancing. Rebecca Bantvala portrays both the girlfriend and the girlfriend’s brother with absolute conviction. Using subtle touches of persona, which become more evident as the play progresses, it is an absolute gem of a role played to perfection. Award-winning Atticist and Ellie Keel Productions return with a new play based on an old myth, about passion, power, and photosynthesis. A contemporary fast-paced thriller with ancient roots, SAP is directed by Offie-nominated Jessica Lazar ( Anna Bella Eema, Arcola Theatre; Outlying Islands, King’s Head Theatre; Dangerous Giant Animals, Edinburgh Fringe/United Solo Fest New York/Park Theatre). This debut play by Rafaella Marcus is a queer urban fable about bisexuality and what we allow people to believe.

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There is a tough truth with theatre and art in general that it has never been able to wash its own face, or exist as a purely commercial venture. It has actually always required more money going into it than will come out. So art must be subsidised to exist, which means that decisions to cut government funding for art are ideological.

Fresh from a critically acclaimed run at Edinburgh and with The Plaines Plough, Marcus’s debut is also a Soho Playhouse winner of Excellence in Theatre. Sap is an enlightening, thought provoking drama that explores with maturity the nature of trust, truth, control and cohesion as well as the complexities of contemporary relationships. Her counterpart, Rebecca Banatvala, effectively multi-roles as every other character, most notably the girlfriend and ‘the guy’. She is able to produce such distinctive characters with only minor changes in body language and voice. The characters are likeable too, people we are familiar with, these aren’t archetypes, making it all the more sinister as the story progresses. They’re toxic in their own way, the script able to understand the nuance and subtlety of being able to use a lie to maintain power, without coming across as a villain from the beginning. The two work incredibly well together, whilst Banatvala plays the supporting role, her presence commands so much attention. A contemporary fast-paced thriller with ancient roots, SAP is directed by Offie-nominated Jessica Lazar (Anna Bella Eema, Arcola Theatre; Outlying Islands, King’s Head Theatre; Dangerous Giant Animals, Edinburgh Fringe/United Solo Fest New York/Park Theatre). This debut play by Rafaella Marcus is a queer urban fable about bisexuality and what we allow people to believe. After being awarded a Stage Edinburgh Award for her performance, Jessica Clark (Versailles, BBC2/ Canal+; The Wife of Willesden, Kiln Theatre; Rotterdam, Trafalgar Studios) will return for the Soho Theatre run and UK Tour of contemporary fast-paced thriller SAP. Clark stars alongside Rebecca Banatvala (Much Ado About Nothing, RSC; The Princess Switch 3, Netflix; The Syndicate, BBC). RAFAELLA MARCUS’ DEBUT DRAMA TAKES AN ANCIENT STORY AND MAKES IT BOX FRESH’ – Lyn Gardner, The StageThere should be more schemes into which wealthy actors, producers and directors can easily pay a percentage of their earnings, to be redistributed. If they want to have a hand in deciding where it goes, that’s fine. If not, I’ll happily run it. We need to have formalised ways of redistributing this kind of money. The other thing I would make compulsory, if I could, is that every company with profits above a certain threshold has to do some arts patronage.