By Sophie
Link: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/illusions-of-liberty-2021
Available until: 5th May
Illusions of Liberty is about a cellist with a chronic incurable invisible illness. I didn’t write it myself, but I theoretically could have done because I am a cellist with a chronic incurable invisible illness. Bach’s first cello suite and The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals are two of my favourite cello pieces and they provide a gorgeous soundtrack for this important play.
Liberty, the main character in this piece, had to stop playing professionally because her brain didn’t have the energy. I stopped playing non-professionally because it just hurt. You have to hold your wrist and fingers in such a weird position and eventually my joints didn’t want to do it anymore so I stopped playing the cello and played Hamlet instead, which seemed like a fair swap to me. Weirdly, the pandemic has actually given me more freedom because acting has now become something you can do sitting down at home. There’s no way I could be in a play in a theatre. Even if I managed to get to one rehearsal, I wouldn’t recover from it in time to attend the next one and my chances of actually being well on the day of the performance is less than 50%. But online theatre works for me. It’s actually not such a very big change. I used to murder cello pieces and now I murder characters in plays.
Liberty has been struggling physically for a while and it’s been getting worse. After been told on numerous occasions that there’s nothing wrong with her (after all, she wears make-up and her hair looks nice. People who are in pain don’t wear make-up and wash their hair – just ask the Department of Work and Pensions), she has finally been given a diagnosis.
The play is written by Lorna Wells and it’s semi-autobiographical. One of the things I really love about the writing of Illusions of Liberty is the balance between the general and the particular. The play tells Liberty’s personal story, involving her relationship with her mother and her partner, her work as a cellist and the support she receives from her doctor. I can identify with playing the cello (in a very inferior, amateur sort of way), but I’m asexual and I don’t really know what it’s like to be in a relationship and although I could feel Liberty’s frustration during her doctor’s appointment, I was also a little jealous because I’d love to have a doctor who is prepared to admit it when they've made a mistake.
This is why the additional ‘general’ angle of Illusions of Liberty is so important. It’s a way of including everybody. One other invisible illness (which I have) is spoken about in the course of the play. Others appear onscreen, words appearing silently, many of them diagnoses which I either have myself or which I have considered before discarding on the grounds that no, that’s not quite me. The play also includes common general reasons which are faced by those with invisible disabilities – not being believed, knowing you’ll get worse rather than better and having to give up on your dreams. Illusions of Liberty isn’t just about Liberty and Lorna. It’s about – and for – the rest of us too. It’s like Lorna is saying, through Liberty, that we’re all in this together and they see us and our illnesses even if nobody else does.
Aisling Gallagher directs the play sensitively. The play is full of moments of pain and fatigue for Liberty which have an honest feel and tell the story rather than exaggerating or understating it. Sally Hardcastle’s set has different areas for Liberty’s bedroom and her mum’s living room with subtle differences. Liberty is so far from being a slob (I wish I could say the same), but the unmade bed suggests she recently had to lie in it. I actually don’t lie in my bed a lot because lying down aggravates my invisible illnesses, but I’m one of the exceptions, not the rule.
There are two performers in this play. One is Meera Priyanka Raja, the absolutely incredible cellist. Her performances are really moving, firstly because she is a wonderful performer and secondly because she shows us what Liberty has lost.
The other performer is Corinne Walker. I’m not falling into the trap of assuming she doesn’t have an invisible illness, but if she does, she’s probably not as physically disabled as Liberty. A lot of disabled actors have been stating in the media that disabled characters should be performed by actors with the same disability and up to a point, I agree.
My personal and quite possibly wrong view of acting is that performing a role involves imitation, imagination and experience. Imitation for me is things like learning to speak in a new accent or copying what a director has demonstrated. Imagination is essential as well – I’ve actually played three different murderers (is the universe trying to tell me something?), but I’ve never murdered anyone or even wanted to (one of the perks of not having relationships?) so I’ve had to use my imagination.
But experience is incredibly valuable too. Any actor can bring imitation and imagination to a role, but an actor with an invisible illness can bring a really valuable personal understanding to a role.
However, in Illusions of Liberty all four roles are performed by the same actor. Only one of them has a known invisible physical illness. This is a great way to tell the story as it puts a bit more focus on the central character, but it would be difficult for an actor with an invisible illness because there’s so much more to do physically. People with an invisible illness can sometimes rush around a stage, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always be able to rush around a stage. Or that they won’t feel the effects later; that they won’t still be feeling the effects a week later.
If Corinne doesn’t have an invisible illness, I am still completely supportive of the decision to cast her. She performs all the roles really well. There’s an honesty in her performance. Even though Liberty generally tries to be positive, Corinne shows her frustration and emotion, as well as her determination, and she is convincing when she talks about the things Liberty can’t do. She also creates the character of Liberty’s mother really strongly, she’s amusing as Liberty’s partner and unusually kind but ultimately helpless as her doctor. Corinne is an incredible singer too. Maybe she can’t play the cello, but the singing enables to show her strong emotional connection to music.
Illusions of Liberty is interesting, beautiful,
educational… and very, very validating.
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