You Won’t Help Me, The Other Palace (Studio) Review
Written by Bronagh
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Trigger warnings – domestic violence, coercive control, miscarriage, rape, suicide.
You Won’t Help Me follows Sarah and David, a seemingly perfect couple revelling in the bliss of their newly engaged bubble. The bubble is soon burst, with the dark side of the relationship coming to light.
I want to preface this review by making it clear that I have a lot of experience working with domestic abuse survivors and have been lucky enough to have undergone a lot of training on the subject. Due to this I could recognise the early signs of abuse and changes in David’s behaviours, however, this didn’t make the show any less shocking. There are trigger warnings in place and displayed, so please do take notice of them if you do choose to watch You Won’t Help Me.
The Other Palace studio space is transformed into a living room, a bar and later a police station while we follow Sarah and David from their engagement all the way to their wedding night. There is a single sofa and a cabinet that doubles as a kitchen surface and a bar. The small space is used very effectively, never feeling too crowded and easily transforming from a comfortable, happy space to a cold environment.
The script is extremely well written with many aspects of domestic abuse touched on. A lot of people do still associate domestic abuse with physical violence, however, the likes of David not allowing Sarah to drink alcohol, taunting her over losing their baby and having the final say on her wedding dress are all signs of abuse. Drawing attention to these types of situations is a great move for educating audiences on all types of domestic abuse. You Won’t Help Me is a twisted love story for a use of a better phrase. On the face of it, the couple are clearly in love, so much so they decide to get married, and they are the ‘perfect’ couple according to their friends. This all crumbles when David’s true colours come out following Sarah’s miscarriage, the story taking twists and turns where there is some hope that things will improve only to be shot down.
Something that I thought was really effective was how other characters suspected that ‘something was wrong’ and how they attempted to have the conversation. Having the cast as a friendship group who felt comfortable enough to ask Sarah if she was okay and David whether things were okay was a good shout in my opinion. People don’t always have support, and although it didn’t change things, I did like that this was not the case in You Won’t Help Me. Even having the bartender check if things were okay when he spotted David grabbing Sarah’s wrist was positive. Although not directly associated with domestic abuse, this all ties in with action over recent years such as ‘Ask for Angela’ and asking for an ‘Angel Shot’, showing that women’s safety and domestic abuse really is everybody’s business.
The final scene is an extremely tough watch, and not the happy ending that I really did hope for. Having the courage to go to the police over abuse is one thing, but then the gruelling interview and forensic process is another. You Won’t Help Me’s ending is a stark reminder of this, and also a reminder that not all abusers are prosecuted, which is extremely heartbreaking to see on stage.
I cannot fault the cast at all for tackling such an emotive and difficult topic. Phoenix Benham not only did a marvellous job in playing Sarah, she also wrote and produced You Won’t Help Me. This is no mean feat, and I can only applaud her. I really liked how her character broke the fourth wall to speak to the audience – I don’t think we see enough of this in theatre! Poppy Fitzgerald and Caitlin Haste did a great job playing Kelly and Michelle, two supportive friends. Nathan Benjamin and Benjamin Sumrie are Michael and Callum, friends who also notice a change in Sarah’s Behaviour. Playing an abusive person can’t be easy, but Nathan Golo really shone in his role as David.
Domestic abuse is a tricky subject, which a lot of people don’t feel comfortable talking about. You Won’t Help Me has done a great job of bringing the different types of abuse to light and showing the effect it can have on another person. The cast all do a superb job in tackling the subject, in a highly emotive, extremely powerful show which is not to be missed.
At The Other Palace until the 31st March 2024.