Joanne is the young woman you glimpse sleeping in a shadowy doorway, or the distressed and potentially distressing girl, who you cross the road to avoid. In this latest show from Clean Break, a quintet of monologues written by five different writers, Joanne never appears. She is defined by her absence. The point, of course, is that Joanne is everywhere. We all fail to notice her; we all fail her, just as formal structures and professionals fail her because of cuts, overwork or errors of judgment.
The structure of the piece in which five women – all played by Tanya Moodie in a meltingly bounteous and big-hearted performance full of sharply observed detail and subtlety – offer an oblique introduction to Joanne. She is only conjured through the eyes of others; a walk-on character in the drama of other people’s busy lives.
Stella, written by Chino Odimba, is the redundant social worker who at her leaving do is looking forward to tomorrow rather than back to Joanne, the girl she met on release from prison this morning. Ursula Rani Sarma’s Grace is a police officer, her life already touched by the guilt of a teenage bullying episode, who encounters Joanne and lets her slip through her fingers. In Deborah Bruce’s playlet, Kathleen is a motherly over-worked A&E receptionist who spots Joanne’s need but can’t help her. We also meet a hostel worker, and the teacher who encountered the teenage Joanne and took a wrong decision.
The quality of the writing varies significantly, and the format works against real emotional engagement. I was always interested, but never really moved. Still, Moodie is on typically impressive form, and this is an evening suffused with regret and no little anger as it reminds us of institutional and personal responsibilities – and that doing the right thing and doing the best thing are not always the same.
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At Soho theatre until 31 October. Box office: 020-7478 0100.
