Downstate at The Dorfman

Bruce Norris confronts the uncomfortable, no more so than with his latest play, Downstate, a joint production between Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company and The National Theatre.  Currently playing at the Dorfman and directed by Pam MacKinnon, Downstate is set in an unprepossessing single storey house in the State of Illinois, where four convicted sex offenders are living, following their release from prison.  The subject matter alone is enough to put some people off and if you add to this Norris’s decision not to write a vengeful play, one might be forgiven for giving this production a very wide berth.  However, I for one, am very glad I didn’t take the synopsis of Downstate at face value and, instead, chose to see it on the strength of the playwright’s brilliant, if disturbing writing, which always contains its fair share of humour.

The inhabitants of this group home for sex offenders are a mismatched bunch.  Wheelchair bound Fred (Francis Guinan) whose mild manner belies the fact that he molested two of his pre-teen piano students.  Gio (Glenn Davis), a bible-quoting rapist who has a seemingly short fuse.  Dee (K Todd Freeman) a gay ex- dancer who insists that his sexual relationship with a fourteen year old cast member was consensual.  Solitary Felix (Eddie Torres) a Latino who violated his own daughter and is constantly thinking of how he can reconnect with her.  Not an auspicious bunch by any means and it falls upon Probation Officer, Ivy (Cecilia Noble) to monitor their behaviour.

The play opens with Fred receiving a confrontational visit from one of his aforementioned students, Andy (Tim Hopper) and his wife Em (Matilda Ziegler).  Resentful and paranoid in case no one should believe he suffered rape at the hands of his piano teacher, and egged on by Em, Andy aims to furnish his rapist with a “reconciliation contract”.

This provocative play is not an easy watch.  But Norris’s rich, uncompromising language and the expert ensemble acting, means that two important questions – how long and to what extent do we expect a paedophile to suffer for his heinous acts and, equally, what is deemed an acceptable length of time for victims to nurse their suffering? – are brought out into the open.  Norris, in his own ambiguous way, makes it very difficult to judge who should receive our sympathy.  As soon as it appears that the case against the almost childlike Fred might be slightly reduced, he has him reach out to touch Andy’s arm.  The humanising of the abuser highlights how easy it is for their victims to be groomed.

As I’ve mentioned, the cast are exemplary, but special mention must be made of K. Todd Freeman.  His ability to amuse with flamboyant arm flourishes, hint at the volatility of his character and also shed real tears, is a joy to watch.  Likewise, Francis Guinan, perfects the insidiousness and creepiness of someone who really should not be taken at face value.

Uncomfortable watching it may be, but Downstate raises very awkward questions about an extremely disturbing subject in a very thought provoking way.