JADAR

★★★★☆

Directed by Jess Gough, PESTS made its debut at the Kings Arms Salford this week. The show follows two characters, Pink and Rolly, as they navigate drug addiction, poverty and various cycles of trauma. Pink and Rolly are sisters that are trying to improve their livelihood but fall victim to extreme circumstances. The show critiques support systems, jealousy and brought up several ethical questions of what stories we tell and how they are presented. If you are looking for a superb night of theatre, Wisteria Theatre Company is the one to watch. Raw, brilliant and shocking, PESTS is a must-see for fans of intensely human productions.

The play opens with Rolly, recently incarcerated, returning home to her sister, Pink. The sisters embraced in a physical brawl ripe with anger, love and frustration. Their reunion was intense and turned almost animalistic as they pushed, growled and shoved. There was not one moment the facade was lifted by either performer and this was clear from the beginning. They had an unwavering commitment to the script, to the story and to each other. 

The production brought up several ethical questions both in the way they performed and how the script was written. I often find that scripts discussing poverty and representations of poverty keep the entire concept at arms length, unable to fully dive into questions concerning drug addiction, class and family. I believe this production was able to walk the line of honest representation of the good, the bad and the ugly for the majority of the show. The veil of reality slipped only a few times but I felt it was intentional and thought through as a production. I rarely see productions where every movement, set piece and eyebrow raise felt integral to the show but this blew me away. 

I feel the show left me with several burning questions: What do we owe the playwright in our interpretations of their script, especially when it comes to portraying a lifestyle different to the one we lead? How can a show discuss these topics ethically, with the least amount of harm? Can we stray away from our lived experience as performers? I felt this production handled these questions excellently and showed a true care put into the piece AND what they represented outside the theatre. 

Wisteria Theatre Company partnered with Odd Arts in order to provide a community space for the conversations raised in this production. This is what the standard should be for any show discussing these topics and I was beyond impressed by the manner in which this show was conducted. Every company should care but they went above and beyond to showcase this dedication 

As a personal shoutout to the remarkable team and performers, during our viewing an audience member fell ill. The director sprung into action and the production team handled the situation swiftly, promptly and set up precautions to avoid this in the future. This standard of care is rare to see in live performance but is a mark of a truly good company.

Along the same lines, despite people crossing the stage several times, the two performers did not break eye contact, diction or slip for even a second during the commotion. The two performers, Daisy Miles (Pink) and Kyia KB (Rolly) were truly sensational and the entire story was gripping. I believed these characters from the second they stepped on stage. I felt this production showed us some of the most superb acting performances I have seen on any Manchester stage. 

In a similar nature, the direction of the piece was clearly thought through and showed several signs of utter brilliance. Working in the round can be challenging, but there was clear care and intent to see it from every audience member’s perspective. I felt the world was dripping with intention down to the pieces of trash scattered throughout the room. 

I felt myself questioning the intensity of the animal characteristics given to the actors, particularly when it came to getting their “fix” of drugs in the production. I am certain this animal-like behavior shown was in order to please the playwright, making these adult women seem like the “pests” in the title, however, I was unsure about the necessity of this because of its implications on lower class individuals. In addition to this, there was a lot of physical violence on stage that left me with a deep unease. The rawness and visceral nature of the production is necessary to discuss because it left me feeling like I had seen true violence; there were moments I felt genuinely scared about. 

This included one scene where Pink was thrown onto the hard wood floor. I wasn’t sure if I missed a stage fall or if there was a hidden preventative measure that slipped by me, however when, at the end of the show, she was stripped down, massive bruises were revealed all across her body, varying in size, color and  shape. It did not appear to be stage makeup, which truly made me question what the role of the actor is in portraying stories like this. How responsible is an actor for showcasing a story physically? Was a real person hurt behind the show or was hyper-realistic makeup added to show the vicious nature of the production? Either way, they looked real and blurred the lines between her as an actor and her as her character.

This additional element truly stuck with me and provided a new context to the story, raising even more questions. This is what I believe theatre should do – make us think and question what we are seeing, as well as how we are reacting to it. This show did just that; it made me think, reflect and pose questions in a way that is truly distinct from other shows that I have seen. In my opinion, the physical body of a performer owes no responsibility to bear the burden of pain but should be able to represent it. It must be noted for any potential viewer, how intense the production really is. The actors truly raised the bar for what can be done in a fringe theatre.

My only curiosity with this production would be in how they showcase the low moments, the soft and caring moments between the two sisters. Their relationship was mainly violent and rife with sabotage that I wanted to see a physical reasoning in why one would stay. What comfort do you receive physically and emotionally from each other?

I also felt there were a few moments of transition that confused the story more than aided it. I personally did not believe they needed every added soundscape where Pink was transfixed on an unknown entity, however, it was unclear if this was asked for in the script or an additional element. I would have liked to see an honest emotional climax followed by its cool down which would have fit the tone of the piece. For me, it pulled me out of the moment but this could have been intentional for audiences to cool down. 

PESTS is a bold, daring and remarkable play delivered by a young theatre company in Manchester. It is a production that truly shows you what can be done with a remarkably dedicated and talented team. I struggled to fit my findings into a concise literary review so can only urge audiences to follow this production and to discover for themselves.

PESTS runs at Kings Arms Salford until November 5.

Photo: So It Is Productions