REVIEW: A Russian Doll at The Barn Theatre in Cirencester

The title of this 1-hour political monologue suggests the mystery and delight of the Matryoshka dolls, the stacking dolls that are a classic souvenir of tourists to Russia which implies ever more interesting revelations as they are unpacked. This nested doll metaphor implies an object within an object is revealed in the secrets behind the Facebook stories that influenced the 2016 Brexit Referendum. However, the monologue is monotone with a steady level of unemotional delivery in a heavy Russian accent that needed some variation in tone, a little light relief and a genuine feeling of fear of the consequences of not complying with the paymaster's instructions. 

Rachel Redford who graduated from RADA in 2013 plays Masha, a Russian undergraduate in St Petersburg who is recruited into the misinformation team of the FSB, the Federal Security service responsible for counterterrorism and the protection and defence of the state. She mines social media for data on influencers in the UK and then subtlety feeds them information to stir up and amplify fears in a cyberwar to affect the outcome of the referendum. We never meet Jay-Z the misnamed leader of the unit or her co-worker Dima and I think it would have been more interesting if we had to add to the dynamism of the piece. Redford does well as the cold almost mechanical cyber warrior who likes cold coffee and cold food and is as unemotional as Putin himself. 

The design by Liz da Costa is simple with two computer screens and a swivel chair within a metal frame and director Nicholas Kent keeps Masha within the metal frame when she is in the FSB laboratory and perched on two stools downstairs when not. It restricts her movements to a narrow corridor along the forestage. Limited colour images are protected to add some setting and context and could have been used more. 

Author Cat Goscovitch does gives Mesha some sketchy back story of a father killed in Chechnya, weaves in some recognisable hashtags from the Brexit debate but does not add much to a now-familiar story of fake news on social media and powerful forces using the ability to create false identities to try and feed information into the public minds. We are never surprised or shocked by her stories, except perhaps a comparison to Third Reich Propaganda. 

It was a pleasure to finally visit the Barn Theatre in Cirencester although the Covid protocols did make the visit more restrictive and impersonal than a small intimate venue like this would normally offer. But while A Russian Doll was interesting it was not as engaging and enjoyable as the excellent Picture of Dorian Gray streamed from this venue during the lockdown.

Review by Nick Wayne 

Rating: ★★★

Seat: Stalls Row M | Price of Ticket: £32.50