Blasted

Sitting through Blasted was like taking a punch to the gut. And then a kick. And then a jab. It was a very stark and painful reminder that beyond our pastel-perfect world exists unspeakable atrocities and hellish horrors. Malthouse Theatre’s new dark and shocking show Blasted will leave you feeling raw until Sunday, 16 September. 

The story opens within the confines of a hotel room: a seemingly safe space occupied by a drunk tabloid journalist (David Woods) who invites an anxious and childlike young woman (Eloise Mignon) to his room. At first their connection is unclear, but after multiple glasses of gin, it is apparent the journalist wants to seduce her. On high-alert and convinced someone is out to kill him, the heightened vibe only serves to sway the power dynamic his way and he proceeds to abuse her. Over the course of the night, he demeans her and then rapes her.

Their interaction abruptly ends with the arrival of a soldier (Fayssal Bazzi), triggering a series of macabre and unearthly events. The solider unflinchingly illustrates the horrors of war and the widespread devastation where innocent civilians are the all-to-familiar victims. An explosion brings an end to the soldier’s life but in the aftermath, the journalist – blinded and himself raped by the soldier – lies alone in the hotel room and is left to grapple with his brutal attack and impending death. 

Blasted is an experiment that explores the connection between full-scale violence in war and domestic violence, and the diseased masculinity rhetoric of sex, dominance and power. “Sarah Kane was a first-time playwright with a raw and bold talent. She had the courage to create a new play that was radical and disturbing, that challenged her audience. She saw a need for change in the world and she wrote into that need,” says director Anne-Louise Sarks. 

Tremendous applause goes out to the cast. Woods, Mignon and Bazzi had the difficult task of birthing the savagery to life. I took a friend to see the show and she was visibly affected by the relentless onslaught of events that spilled on stage, so it’s safe to assume the performers succeeded in conveying feelings of desperation, brutality and pain. 

Sarah Kane’s play shocked audiences in London in 1995. In 2018, Blasted is still a horror show that needs to be seen to be believed. 

Blasted 
Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank
Till Sunday, 16 September
malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/blasted