Joe Hufton’s production deals extremely well with this theatrical conceit and the whip-sharp dialogue is handled with aplomb by all four, especially once the tone darkens as Scarlet struggles to deal with the situation. Her relationships with her boyfriend and friends suffer, her revenge tactics backfire due to society’s hypocrisy when it comes to boasting about men’s sexual prowess whilst slut-shaming women in the same breath, her inability to see herself as a victim – whilst nominally a show of strength – blinds her to the reality of the abuse she can’t, or won’t, acknowledge has happened.
Even if you don't see anything of yourself in Scarlet, Freeman cleverly shows how society is part of the problem and how we're all responsible. For every thought that she shouldn't dress like that, for imagining that being sexually confident equals asking for it, for every muttered aside about how she shouldn't have been drinking so much - we're part of this story whether we like it or not. And for this reason, it's one of the more thought-provoking pieces of theatre around at the moment.
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes (with interval)
Booking until 9th May