#EdFringe: The Incident Room Review
★★★★ ½
A sharp, witty and engrossing play that focuses on the female sergeant at the heart of the Yorkshire Ripper investigation in the 80s. Because women can investigate too.
Photo: Richard Davenport
In the days before the internet, before digital and when women were even further behind in the quest for equality, one man reaped terror, chaos and murder across the UK. At the centre of it is Sergeant Megan Winterburn who is coordinating a combined effort across police precincts, and a team of police desperately hunting for clues. An almost feminist manifesto of a true crime story, this show has a little something for everyone in it – great use of projections, dedicated performances, an investigation on power and gender equality and a finger on the pulse of our obsession with true crime.
Devised by the ensemble, with script shaped by Olivia Hirst and David Byrne and directed by Byrne and Beth Flintoff, the show is well researched and deeply engaging. Using real snippets of the television broadcasts, voice overs, real police insight and video cameras projecting different parts of the set to show them assembling the maps of suspects and creating those investigative evidence boards, they’ve created an engrossing world of mystery, fear and frustration. We get a sense of the sheer effort that went into the investigation over five years, and the pace and difficulty of paper based police work.
The show depicts women acting like men would, and not being rewarded for it. It’s set at a time where strides towards gender equality are being made, but at the same time, panic and hysteria is taking over and women are being patronised for their own safety, curfewed and accompanied by men or encouraged to carry weapons and to imbibe fear. The story deeply resonated with me as we saw Winterburn, who began running the investigation, have her role slowly stripped away until she is just typing things up, while her male colleagues are promoted and given credit for her work. It’s a world where suddenly woman are worth less because they are being hunted.
Photo: Richard Davenport
An absolutely gorgeous, very tall set by Patrick Connellan, made up of filing cabinets frames the stage and as the investigation starts to deteriorate so too do the filing cabinets, papers starting to overflow and fill the space. There’s definitely more that can be done with this, but it may be because I was at a relaxed performance, meaning much of the lighting is relaxed and the show is trying to be a little less jarring, that this was toned down.
Performances by the devising ensemble are all excellent, and they strongly convey the feelings that were gripping a nation at this time. The show is slick with it’s tech, and while the lighting might have been toned down, the sound effects, soundtrack used and the set still conveyed the full potential of this show. With elements of dark humour, an emotionally charged storyline and a huge slice of feminist true crime drama, it’s no wonder that this show has a full house each day and is selling out.
The Incident Room plays at Pleasance Courtyard until 26 August. More info. It will also return to London for a month at New Diorama Theatre in February and March 2020. More info.
