Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed make contentious, disruptive work. Their latest show confronts the avalanche of sexist attitudes women encounter every day.
It begins cacophonously with six women in ball gowns lining up as if to sing — though instead they yelp and wail distressingly. When at last they speak, it is to itemise the different beauty products they use — or rather, those they are expected to use.
Later they name the famous women whose looks or deeds make them feel bad (Maria Sharapova, Mother Teresa). But, given the tricksy nature of the performance, it’s possible that they are just reproducing the kind of curt, sour comments often made about female celebrities. In this vein one member of the company recites dozens of the hideous jokes about women that are routinely passed off as “banter” — as in the recent, controversial TV show Dapper Laughs: On the Pull.
While this may sound like a punishing piece, it’s urgent and deeply unsettling. The performances are precise yet also raw, and the show’s brilliant, teasing construction revitalises familiar issues. Nothing we see and hear is free from disquieting ambiguity — not even the title. My initial hunch was that the sirens in question were the sinister, seductive ones from Greek mythology. But on reflection perhaps they’re the other sort, loudly warning of the dangers of making too many assumptions.
Until January 4 (020 7478 0100, sohotheatre.com)
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