The Human Body

‘The Human Body’ a new play by Lucy Kirkwood sees TV stars Keeley Hawes and Jack Davenport fall in love on the intimate stage of the Donmar. They do not disappoint. Hawes has a brittle British charm that suits this post-war period so well and Davenport bringing warmth and romance to a play that is at once a homage to British cinema, and an examination of the NHS.

Set in Shropshire, 1948, the year which saw a transformation in politics that improved living standards through the welfare state, Hawes plays Iris, a hard-working doctor and pioneering local councillor stretched to the limits in her efforts to be a good wife and mother whilst her political career takes off. She is unhappily married to doctor and injured ex-serviceman played by Tom Goodman-Hill, enraged by his changed body and ambitious wife.

Explicit Allusions to David Lean’s seminal Brief Encounter (1945) proliferate from the moment Iris meets movie star (Jack Davenport), in a dimly lit carriage on the train to London as the films theme music swells and cameras zoom in. She is a hard-working socialist and he is a lazy movie star. They fall in love at once.

If the formation of the NHS and a homage to early British cinema sound hard to knit together in the theatre. They are. Directors Michael Longhurst and Ann Yee layer the cake by making visible the workings of both theatrical and cinematic production in a continuous flow of bodies wheeling set, props and cameras on and off the rotating stage.

The cameras deliver close ups of their close encounters are projected on the back wall providing a cinematic and theatrical experience at once. However combined with the mechanics of theatre – think stage hands rushing on and off the stage to deliver naturalistic furniture and props – it all feels a bit exhausting. With short scenes and the rest of the ensemble cast playing multiple characters, there’s already a lot going on. Maybe the purpose is simply to leave us feeling as busy as Iris, trying to be mother, housewife, lover, doctor, and politician all at once.

Running at almost 2hrs 45mins, The Human Body is never boring. Despite its many themes and stylistic ambitions, it feels like an old-fashioned romance packed with cinematic references and moving parts. If you are a fan of Heeley, Davenport, or Goodman Hill, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Photo credit: Marc Brenner