Review: Roundelay (Southwark Playhouse)

Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde shocked audiences in 1900, but now we see sex everywhere. Although that won't stop you squirming when you're watching a steamy scene with a parent or, God forbid, grandparent. This new adaptation taps into that. Theatre company Visible, who formed in 2012 to produce 'provocative work that transcends age', taps into that and Roundelay transposes Schnitzler's original characters so that the majority of the characters are
more mature.

Roundelay presents a number of issues that older generations have had to adapt to; the increasing social acceptance of homosexuality and divorce, our awareness of mental health and changing attitudes to death.

Visible transforms Southwark Playhouse into a big top. Circus music plays between the scenes, as a sultry ringmistress (Clare Perkins) provides interludes. The problem is, there isn't really much circus to it.

The few circus moments are left to the younger Anna Simpson and Elan James, and end up being mostly unspectacular. There are a few gorgeous and daring silk routines from Simpson (choreographed to an intricate clarinet piece), but you yearn for more. If you're going to set an show about the empowerment of old people and sex in a circus, you want to see OAPs doing stunts. It leaves the whole circus vibe feeling gimmicky.

The production is paced well and the stories tie up nicely, like any good version of La Ronde should. We follow a different couple in each of the seven scenes. Their stories range from a man who faces up to his sexuality later in life, to a woman who dreams of Sunday mornings with her late husband.

There are few shocks, but it's enjoyable to watch the story play out. Holly de Jong is manic as dementia sufferer Bette. Though she remembers very little, there are flickers right in the back of her brain of her past sex life. She's confused, but those feelings of intimacy have remained as strong as ever. When we think of sex at 70, we tend to think of the changing physical condition and practicalities. Bette reminds us of another aspect of the pain of mental impairment.

It's insightful and challenging, but there are missed tricks that could have taken Roundelay to the next level.

Roundelay runs at Southwark Playhouse until 18 March.