Keep (Owl & Cat) – theatre review

Keep is about a young hoarder (Naomi, played by Jess Yates) and her sisters (Jane, Angie Glavas and Kara, Christina Walls), who are trying to intervene and force her to start cleaning her messy house as they reconnect with her. It is inevitable that old wounds are opened, notably the disappearance of another sister (Margo, a role filled by Ruby Duncan), who was very close to the hoarder. Their mother was never around, so the eldest sister became the pseudo mum, although not all went according to plan. You quickly get the picture that this is a deeply dysfunctional family. Strong feelings – anger, vitriol, resentment, hurt, guilt and despair – are laid bare.

New York-based writer Francesca Pazniokas wanted to explore how we decide what and who has value in our lives, and how we determine our own worth. While the play – her first full-length outing – isn’t autobiographical, it is deeply personal. Pazniokis acknowledges she had a couple of bumpy years during which she struggled with hoarding, among other things. Her grandmother died a few weeks before she wrote Keep and while she didn’t start hoarding again, she worried that she would.

“In the past, losing such a huge support in my life would have created a vacuum that self-destructive behaviours might fill,” Pazniokas said on Wide Eyed Productions’ blog spot earlier this year. She said writing Keep helped her process those past experiences that she had tried to forget and reminded her that she shouldn’t romanticise or demonise the person she was then and is now.  So, the play is about loyalty and loss, but Pazniokas says she also hopes it “speaks to people who have struggled with addiction and those who may have felt hurt and helpless to support their loved ones”.

The set is a hoarders’ paradise, everything from old paperback novels and newspapers to a nude pregnant mannequin without a head, a baby typewriter and ornate maroon lampshade to a fan and lamp base consisting of shapely legs wearing stilettos. Mind you, this description barely brushes the surface of what is a mish mash of trash and treasure. Set designer Thomas Ian Doyle must have had fun creating the fire hazard (said very much tongue in cheek).

Naomi is moody and brooding, Jane attempts to be the peacemaker and voice of reason, while Kara has a short fuse. Margo, who makes a sudden and effective appearance in the second half of Keep, which runs for 70 minutes without interval, is a ghostly presence.

I was totally comfortable and involved in the fine set up, which was easy to follow and had flashes of humour amidst the tension. The characters were well drawn and the acting sound. But once Margo came into the picture, I am afraid to say Keep largely lost me. I found myself playing catch up for the ensuing duration of the play, trying to work out just what was happening. It was like playing join the dots, but try as I might the dots didn’t quite come together.  While I certainly don’t mind reflecting about a piece of entertainment and discussing it afterwards, a greater level of understanding – which I didn’t get here – certainly helps. So, that can either be viewed as the job of the playwright or the director or both.

Overall, first time director, actor Khisraw Jones-Shukoor, has made an auspicious start, but “less is more” doesn’t always lead to a favourable outcome. My suggestion is that if you go along and see Keep, do so with a friend or loved one in order to share your views and unscramble the detail – in other words, determine who did what to whom – afterwards. It is playing at The Owl and Cat Theatre, 34 Swan Street, Richmond, until 17th June 2016.

Alex First