Prima Facie

This stunning production brings together a variety of finely tuned theatrical elements to achieve maximum impact. The writing in this text is complex and sophisticated but it is combined with a clarity of emotions that make the intricacies of this drama extremely accessible. The vibrancy of the detail is fascinating and easily draws the audience into a world that is normally abstruse and exclusive. 

Tessa (Sheridan Harbridge) is an accomplished and fiery defence lawyer who usually makes mincemeat of her witnesses. In this story she becomes a victim of her own, sometimes heartless, courtroom tactics. The reversal in narrative events is ingenious and creates a fantastic opportunity for a sharp and in-depth character study. Harbridge’s command of the intensity of the language is mesmerising and this makes her presence on stage very magnetic. The audience clings onto her every utterance as she conjures up a very eventful and alluring legal world. The intricate nature of the descriptions and Harbridge’s emphatic style of delivery make the play extremely colourful. The transformation from killer barrister to a victim of sexual assault is created in a very delicate manner; Harbridge ensures that Tessa has not lost her persona, but she is nonetheless deflated and derailed by the terrible reversal in her position.

The legal aspects of her case are so carefully and clearly detailed that the audience is easily engrossed. The physical and emotional energy that is required for this role is enormously taxing but Harbridge delivers it with naturalness and confidence and produces a truly remarkable feat. The laser sharp focus of the performance is reiterated through the staging and the set design. The simplicity of the setting is as ingenious as the writing; the sparseness of the stage facilitates uninterrupted attention to Tessa and the events that completely overturn her life. 

The ending of the play is magnificent as all the raw emotions culminate in Tessa’s final plea for societal and legal change. The impassioned plea is so highly charged with emotion that there is a moment where the character and performer truly become one. Harbridge is visibly moved by the urgency of her character’s demands and the appeal for change is unequivocally embraced by the audience. This is a must-see performance that is striking both in its impressive delivery and its luscious cohesion.

Patricia Di Risio 

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Photographer: Brett Boardman