The Last Refuge, Peckham
***
Catherina Linck had an extraordinary life: she grew up an
orphan, lived in a religious community, lived as a man, fought as a soldier,
and married a woman at a time when homosexuality was illegal and stigmatised.
Linck was executed in 1721 (this isn’t a spoiler – the flyer describes ‘the
only woman ever executed for sodomy’), but to see this story played out today
as the UK moves towards legalising gay marriage is apt and thought provoking.
Linck begins with
a recorded voiceover, a triumphant victory speech in which King Frederick I thanks
the men of the nation and welcomes a new era. Hearing these rousing words
spoken by a female voice highlights the lack of any mention of women in the
speech itself. The world of the play is one in which women are passive – left
at home during war, presided over by male rulers and subject to a justice
system run exclusively by men.
Fanni Compton’s performance as Linck is committed and
engaging, from her first entry as a tomboy child exploring the room to her
impassioned pleas in court. Adèle Keating and Helen Worsley play other
characters variously. Keating’s Prosecutor and Worsley’s Eva Lang, leader of
the Inspirant religious group, are less convincing, but Linck’s young wife Cathy
Muhlhahn (Keating) and Cathy’s mother (Worsley) are both strong performances.
The narrative plays out in flashback, beginning with the
Prosecutor addressing the audience as a jury and summarising the case against
Linck. We see her entry into and expulsion from a religious sect, and seem to
move through the flashbacks chronologically, although this becomes less clear
later in the play. There are a few lulls, mostly necessitated by costume
changes – sometimes this meant the rhythm and tension dropped briefly.
Danny West and Ben Fensome’s script draws on transcripts of the
1721 trial, but they have also made substantial changes – in the play, Linck
and Muhlhahn have a warm, close, intimate relationship, and Muhlhahn stands by
Linck even after discovering her physical gender. Other accounts suggest that
Linck was abusive, and that Muhlhahn was involved in bringing charges against
her spouse. Within the structure of the play, the happier relationship made
sense and was sensitively played – and the fact that I went home and looked up
more information on the case says something in itself about the effectiveness
of the production.
The Prosecutor’s closing statements focus on the two women’s
sexual activity. Her message, essentially, is that to permit this ‘unnatural
act’ between two women would set a precedent – and ‘where would it end?’ The
audience sympathise with Linck because her right to dress, worship and identify
herself as she wants to is so severely restricted, and the fact that Linck and
Muhlhahn are happily married in the play makes it very clear that it is society’s
views on their relationship that parts them.
The play grapples with women’s rights, gay rights and
religious tolerance, all of which are still contentious and challenging issues.
Prosecuting women for wearing trousers now seems ridiculous; in future,
prosecuting homosexuals will hopefully seem equally archaic. Linck takes on a challenging biography
and weighty themes, and for the most part it is successful.
This production has now closed.
For more information: http://www.thelastrefuge.co.uk/theatre-company/whats-on/
@TheLastRefugeUK
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