Review: The Flea at The Yard Theatre

Tuesday, 17th October 2023 at The Yard Theatre, London.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewer: Emma Dorfman

The Yard, on the few occasions I have been, has never failed to deliver on its mission to cross genres and break boundaries– to ‘invite us into journeys of escape, euphoria, possibility and hope.’ James Fritz’s The Flea, directed by The Yard’s very own Artistic Director, Jay Miller, responds to all of the above briefs. As a tale about English classism and a world in which the poor masses are controlled by the few ultra-rich, it has much contemporary resonance, to say the least. Recent sex scandals involving Prince Andrew and too many Tory MPs to name eerily echo the stories, rumours and scandal behind the Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889.

In Part One of the play, the aforementioned scandal slowly unfurls before our very eyes. A brief introduction is made by our protagonist, Emily (Norah Lopez Holden), who provides us with the image of a flea feeding on a rat- the rat, under the impression that it has the right to ‘lash out at something smaller than itself’- that I so wish was just explored for a bit longer given it’s so packed with metaphor. Immediately, we are launched into something of a ‘let the credits roll’ cinematic intro, in which we are greeted by many of the characters we will come across in the next 2.5 hours. Though I might disagree slightly with the filmic nature of it all, this appropriately set the scene for the wacky, confabulated history play that is about to commence.

Contributing to the wonderfully whimsical tone of the piece- which, I may add, is the perfect complement to a piece set in the High Victorian Era- is the equally campy scenography and costume design. Naomi Kuyck-Cohen’s set is stark for the most part, with deeper hues of purple, black and tinges of red. It’s perfectly gauche for the aristocratic subjects we come across later, who are ornately outfitted by Lambdog1066: Lord Somerset’s (played by a humourous, ironic Connor Finch) drawn-on black eyebrows and horse tail cape are nearly characters of their own. Lord Euston’s (played with a vulnerable poise by Sonny Poon Tip) wig, adorned excessively with hair pins, and the touch of aqua blue at the very centre of his lips is reminiscent of those residents of The Capital from The Hunger Games. And it’s not just the aristocrats that get to have all the fun. Constable Hanks (doubled by Tip), too, dons trousers with an unnecessary number of buttons dotting all around. The look is given some extra flair through flamboyant, billowy, silver metallic sleeve.

Though the theatrical elements tread lightly, with all the humour and fun one would never expect in a narrative overtly critical of the upper classes, Fritz’s version of the Cleveland Street Scandal is biting and brutal. We quickly discover that Emily’s son, Charlie (Seamus McLean Ross), has been arrested for some questionable activities. As more information is revealed, Emily and her son find themselves wrapped up in a serious political scandal, in which many lives and reputations are at stake. Fritz doesn’t shy away from conversations about ‘gross indecency’, the dangers of being queer in Victorian Britain and potential sex trafficking. These moments are visceral even for contemporary audiences, who very well may feel the current rumblings of ‘don’t say gay’ laws and anti-trans violence. I even heard one of the audience members wince out loud on quite a few occasions throughout.

These are all tough subjects to swallow, and the intersections between those arrests and the socio-economic status of those individuals are difficult to disentangle from one another. While the narrative between Emily and Charlie runs parallel with that of Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales (played by the same actors), for instance, the squabbles between the Queen and her son are nothing compared to the uphill battles that Emily and Charlie continually face. Fritz’s message is clear: the aristocracy and the politicians are disconnected, and entirely absent from, the reality of the very people they lead. But, as Fritz also writes, ‘Change cannot be hurried– not with the English, anyway’.

The Flea is at The Yard Theatre until November 18th – more information and tickets can be found here.