REVIEW: THE SUITCASE @ THEATRO TECHNIS

🎭 The Suitcase: Losing Famagusta

📍  Theatro Technis, 26 Crowndale Road, London NW1 1TT                           

🗓 Wednesday 14 August 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A BRILLIANTLY POIGNANT RETELLING THROUGH A YOUNG GIRL'S EYES

THE SUITCASE is a must-see one woman show that is delivered extraordinarily well. Playing at the Theatro Technis, Lorna Eleonora Vassiliades' autobiographical account of her life up to early teenage hood can resonate in waves with millions still today. It is a masterpiece. Her storytelling is simply remarkable, I was entranced throughout the entire play. 

The movement director, Despoina Christianoudi, has done a spectacular job making the use of the space and simple props that emerge from a suitcase. The suitcase is a central point to the story used as a beginning to each of the 'mini chapters' that Lorna retells. We see an inflatable dolphin, a change of clothes and a cleverly used piece of black fabric. That along with a table and 3 chairs are enough to set the scene of a salon, a car and an airport. It has taken simplicity and made it into a remarkable account. Pedro Pérez Rothstein's work as director has helped to create an outstanding performance. 

“Indigenous people do our best to tolerate occupiers.” The first few moments of the play involve Lorna taking different cloths off a table to reveal different flags of places involved in her family having to flee. This immediately hooked me with how she summarised her experience purely with movement, facial expressions and a simple pre-recorded narration. She spoke of the majority Orthodox Greeks and minority Muslim Turks having a motherland yet Britain still interfered despite being 'nobody's motherland'. Britain still has two army bases on the island, a gentle but needed nod to the colonial past Britain has played in so many parts of the world - with absolute devastation to follow - as Lorna recounts. 

We start off learning about Lorna's journey as a child. She was born in the UK to Greek Cypriot parents, her dad very passionate about becoming an accountant. She retells her experience of growing up with no one wanting to play with her, encountering experiences of bullying and racism.

"This is my view of the playground and it isn't very friendly, no one wants to play with me." She has examples of a fairly regular childhood in some regards such as going to a beach in Southend on a cold day, finding a love for reading and placing 3rd in an embroidery competition. But the language she experiences and eventual assault leads her to question "Is this what a bloody foreigner is? Somebody who bleeds?"

Lorna's family eventually move to Famagusta, she shares it means 'hidden in the beaches.'  She got the audience singing along to the Bee Gees - Massachusetts, but replacing the state with 'Famagusta' rather brilliantly after explaining her love for 'Top of the Pops'.

We then find ourselves in Famagusta. She is incredibly proud of her town, just like her mum. She finds herself there as she realises there are people who look like her and want to play with her. Her dad opens his own accountancy office and her mum happily enjoys spending time at a salon. She realises that "peas don't come out of a bag in Cyprus,” and quickly adapts to life.

Throughout the play Lorna speaks a bit of Cypriot Greek with an English translation for effect whilst acting as family members, this is a genuinely lovely touch and adds to the immersion of her acting.

We are reminded of murmurings of communism and that "Kissenger is playing a dangerous game."  Lorna recalls she doesn't exactly know things mean but she is quite happy being in school and with her friends. She talks about her dreams and passions. Her piano teacher says she could become a concert pianist, yet her dad buys her a 'how to type' book in the hopes she'll become an accountant, whilst Lorna loves the idea of writing and acting (of which she should be incredibly proud!) 

There are mentions of tensions starting throughout the play such as one day Lorna and her father are unable to go and visit beyond some walls. But her dad has a very pleasant conversation with a “Turk, who is cypriot...mostly" about needing more rain.  The man was friendly and gave Lorna some pieces of coconut which he is selling. Normal everyday conversations and relations show daily life before the impending implosion. 

Finally, we experience a very real and traumatic diary recount of the days just before the invasion. "Will we wake up one morning to a Turkish sun?" Lorna tells of daily curfews, seeking shelter in a neighbour's basement, bombs falling onto the hospital with blood going everywhere and absolute devastation.

Throughout the early days her mum still insisted on going to the salon, "If we have to leave town, we'll leave with our heads held high," which is a true testament to this family's strength. The climatic ending sees a series of photographs projected as chairs topple and crashes are heard over an amazing accompanied track. I was mesmerised throughout this final sequence especially. 

Lorna took to bows with the team to a majority standing ovation and loud applause. The bows included a small speech at the end reminding us that Lorna's story can be felt by so many around the world and that we must work together to show empathy and raise the human spirit. This was deeply moving and seeing Lorna get emotional really shows her passion for this incredible piece of theatre. At the end of the show, there was also an open discussion question and answer session, which provided many insightful points and a great way to further explain reasonings behind the show.

The theatre also had a small room with a dedicated exhibition, which was a wonderfully informative and captivating addition to the performance. Personal items from Lorna's suitcase include a journal and photographs that the family quickly packed, thinking they'd be back in a few days. It was moving walking about the space reflecting on how in this lifetime so many will have a similar experience of fleeing with such seemingly mundane items, yet are a part of their own unique stories. 

Lorna's storytelling is immersive, powerful and thought-provoking. She has a way of captivating an audience through a wave of emotions from playful childhood experiences to immense trauma. There was a seamless blend of wit and passion, I was certainly kept on my toes!

I hope this show can spread to a much wider audience as it is absolutely deserved and brilliantly told. It is a mix of the need to belong, politics, real world issues, trauma, childhood memories and identity.  Lorna's writing showcases an incredibly devastating point in history through innocent eyes often containing happy memories and what losing a part of her childhood means. It resonates so much with what is happening in the world today with refugees and asylum seekers. It leads to the question of how this is still allowed to happen over fifty years later and is a stark reminder that we cannot forget this is still happening in the world and is very current right now.

THE SUITCASE is playing as part of this year's Camden Fringe and has one more performance left tonight (Thursday 15 August) at 7:30pm at Theatro Technis. Click here to book tickets.

Abigail Woodridge

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one reviewer. 

My ticket for this performance of The Suitcase was gifted by Lorna V who invited me to watch the show on behalf of Pink Prince Theatre in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given. 

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour, with no interval (plus 30 minute q & a session after a short break)

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Bullying; Racism; War; Racist language; Mentions of physical assult; Flashbacks through the use of screaming