Enough @ Traverse Theatre
An explosive, humourous production looking at two female flight attendants who tire of the expectations placed upon them
How often do we feel a guttural, unearthly presence inside of us? For just how long can a woman be what ‘they’ want her to be? Stef Smith’s Enough is a profoundly poetic production which unravels the sometimes treacherous journey of female friendship and expectations.
Jane and Toni are flight attendants, a profession demanding an aesthetical perfection. They spend their days with passenger safety as their primary concern, taking tickets, handling complaints and enacting rigorous safety procedures. What they avoid, though, is life some 30,000 feet below.
As the two characters, Louise Ludgate and Amanda Wright have a chemistry which lifts the production beyond acting – this is genuine interaction. The execution of the snide remarks, drunken proclamations of love and eventual closeness is exceptional.
A constant stream of repetition, Enough plays with words deftly, homing in with pinpoint accuracy at the slightest tweak or crack in Toni or Jane’s facade. To accentuate this, Kai Fischer’s lighting design emulates the soft, false-welcoming tones of hotel rooms. Suddenly tearing them apart with a burst of white light is a snap reminder that the pair have lives of their own.
Smith’s script captures the tiring expectations put upon women, not only by themselves but by employers, partners and society. Even in descriptions of brutality, the language is gorgeous. Enough comes from a place of fire at the hurt thundering beneath our feet. With powerfully emotional performances and chaotically passionate writing, its a powerhouse of emotion.
Enough, Traverse Theatre, Until August 25, various times, £21-15.50