Rosamund Pike as a Crown Court judge with a penchant for Karaoke! What’s not to love?
I last saw Ms Pike delivering all the best lines in the extraordinarily brilliant Saltburn, but now she is delivering all the best lines in Suzie Miller’s Inter Alia, a play that eases through the first section with some fine comedy, then slowly invites us into the poignant realism of family life, writes Michael Holland.
Stomping drums and sharp guitar provide soundtrack for the start as a bewigged and gowned Jessica Parks rises up through a Stars In Their Eyes mist and screams into the handheld mic, ‘F*ck the patriarchy!’ What follows is a diatribe against the man-heavy world of law, the court system and, in this world of so-called equality, how a woman is expected to run the home while doing one of the most important jobs in a developed country.
While Jessica is presiding over a violent rape trial she is also planning a dinner party, fretting over bullies bothering her son, and trying to get her husband(Jamie Glover) to pull his weight a tad more.
Inter Alia (Among others things) is a potted history of Jessica’s relationship with her son (Jasper Talbot), recalled against a backdrop of her contemporary court cases.
At first she is furiously funny, making light of juggling being a mum and wife along with being a judge. Pike shows off excellent comedic skills while having nobody to play off to help with timing, using only movement and props like a Chaplin or Keaton of our day. She makes a steam-puff from an iron a moment of hilarity.
After switching naturally from morning mum to holding court and putting someone in jail for many years before clearing up after the family on the same day, Jessica lets her hair down with Karaoke, but is always checking her texts, always concerned that all is okay at home.
As her son enters his teenage years, the comedy lessens. She tries to guide him as best she can about #metoo; her husband merely wants to teach him sports and musical instruments.
The power struggles she deals with in her court with male defending counsel in a system devised by men over centuries, mirrors the power struggles she has at home with her King’s Counsel husband and stroppy son growing up in a world guided by the internet more than by parents. Inter Alia becomes seriously sombre.
But there are so many spoilers to ruin the nail-biter scenes that I will stick to Pike’s fantastic performance – Award-winning.
Yes, the men are consigned to bit parts but their contribution is absolutely crucial to how we see and understand Jessica. This is absolutely all about her and how she manages all the ‘other things’ as well as uphold the law.
The play is written by Suzie Miller who once practised law and interviewed many top female judges to get a rounded, panoramic picture of their lives, so we know that what happens in Jessica’s life has happened to someone in her position.
For me, Inter Alia is definitely one of the best plays I’ve seen this year, and unquestionably one of the best performances.
Sublime direction from Justin Martin and Miriam Buether’s set is amazing.
Tickets will be very hard to come by now the reviews are out but the National Theatre will be broadcasting the September 4th performance live to cinemas around the UK. I highly recommend you get a ticket somehow – even if you have to end up in court to get one!
Screening link: https://www.ntlive.com
National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 9PX until September 13th.
Booking and full details: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/inter-alia/
