[THEATRE REVIEW] ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE @ Meat Market Stables Review (2025)
Intergenerational trauma characterises the incendiary play Anatomy of a Suicide, which sees three family stories set in different timeframes play out in unison.
Carol (Ashleigh Coleman) has had suicidal ideation since her school days. Now married to train driver, John (Stephen Whiley), who cares deeply, she has just made another attempt on her life by slashing her wrists.
Giving birth to her daughter Anna (Erin Perrey) hasn’t made a difference and she is still looking to end her life.
Anna is a heroin addict whose mind is all over the place. She meets kindly documentary filmmaker, Jamie (Alexander Tomisich), at a commune.
They go on to marry and have a baby, but her demons remain close at hand.
As a doctor, Bonnie (Elisa Armstrong) runs an emergency hospital ward. She is a loner, who has trouble letting others in to share her lived experience.
She is also looking to sell the family home.
It feels like she is forever weighed down. One thing she is sure of is that she doesn’t want any children.
Premiering at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2017, Anatomy of a Suicide is a superbly written, award-winning play by British playwright Alice Birch.
While heavy going, it has many layers to it. We – the audience – only get to understand the full context as the production unfolds.
This slow reveal quality is among its greatest assets, as mental health and women’s health are in the spotlight throughout.
A 10-strong ensemble from Heartstring Theatre, directed by Katie Smith, do a mighty job with the material. The riveting performances are dramatic and explosive.
Each actor has an important part (or, in five cases, parts) to play in a piece that requires dexterity and drive to pull off effectively. They excel with their passion and poise.
The action takes place on an elongated catwalk style stage (measuring 10 metres by two metres). Props are wheeled in or carried on as the scenes dictate.
For much of the work, two or three moments in time play out alongside each other, with the dialogue in those scenes crossing over each other.
While on the one hand a clever device built into the script by the writer, it also inevitably becomes somewhat confusing. It is difficult to hear two or three conversations at once with any sense of clarity.
Yes, you understand the tenor of what is being said, but details become blurred or subjugated as a result, leading to a sense of frustration.
Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I still greatly applaud Anatomy of a Suicide and the enormous endeavour that has obviously gone into staging it the way it is.
Nevertheless, when perspicuity is called into question, one should ask whether that is the best approach.
In finishing, I would like to praise one small, but important ingredient when it comes to the props.
A number of characters in the play smoke, but Heartstring Theatre has wisely chosen not to use herbal cigarettes, which inevitably stink up a space.
Rather, we simply see the darts in mouths and in hands, with lighters lit, but don’t have to put up with the usual unpleasant fallout.
I sincerely wish more theatre companies would follow suit.
With a running time of 100 minutes without interval, Anatomy of a Suicide is playing at Meat Market Stables until 16th February, 2025.
Review by Alex First Photography by Angel Leggas