Phil Porter’s Blink

The revival of Phil Porter’s Blink:

Phil Porter’s 2012 Blink is being reimagined for a new audience, where the concept of stalking is more prevalent than ever. Directed by Simon Paris, Abigail Thorn plays Sophie and Joe Pitts is Jonah. Opening night at the Kings Head Theatre will be on the 19th February. This two person play encompasses themes of passion, anger, and a somewhat darker concept of love and relationships through a screen. On Wednesday, the Kings Head Theatre constructed an afternoon where reporters, content creators, and journalists were able to see a small piece of what the play had to offer.

 Consensual digital stalking is the focus of the play, and this is really showcased in the small snippet we got to see. It was thrilling to see how tension filled the room all because of a baby monitor. Abigail Thorn as Sophie plays with the idea of using the audience as real people when performing; making me fully immersed within the drama on stage. When interviewing Thorn, I tried to understand how she feels within such a stripped back and intimate space to perform instead of being on a ‘box-office’ set like ‘House of Dragons’.

“It’s about finding the smallest particle and growing out” she commented.

Sophie is very different from characters Thorn has played before (those women being menacing and powerful) while Sophie’s character struggles with identity and being in the outside world.

Thorn said “Sophie might be asexual… I wanted to challenge myself” by taking on the role.

From the scene, it is obvious Sophie becomes thrilled when realising she is being followed by Jonah. She performs for him – Thorn interpreting her behaviour impeccably. While there is sexual tension in the play, it is clear the thrill of the chase is the attracting bit.

Director Simon Paris felt that the play was so relevant within today’s society because it is purely based on digitalisation and the liminal boundaries this can cross. When asked about the raw nature of the script, he said it was kept completely the same as Phil Porter had written it.

He believed it was a “nice way to tackle digital relationships”, which often stem from things like dating apps and so on. While only being an audience for a small period of time; the darker tone of the play really hit me.

Paris said he wanted to “mess with the audience” worked evidently well. We were all on edge.

He also said the play is used to “explain parasocial relationships” in a digitally aging world. Sophie and Jonah do not meet within the scene I witnessed, yet they were so in sync with their lifestyles. It was like they lived in a silent harmony, something I think Thorn and Pitts portrayed marvellously. Their ability to show how the characters have separate lives but live in the liminal space was truly amazing to watch.

Finally, Jonah’s character within the scene seemed to be more desperate for a connection with Sophie, Pitts fully immersing himself in desire and craving. Pitts was thrilled to take on the

role and spoke about how his collaboration with costume allowed him to fully picture Jonah in his mind.

He said it was “exciting as an actor” to be able to fill in a character and put on such a play. I asked about his previous experiences as a voice actor which is clearly so different from performing on stage for an audience.

“I loved Final Fantasy” Pitts said. “Having a relationship through the screen is so different”.

Jonah has almost a hidden need of watching people and his attachment to Sophie is kind of alarming, I felt rather scared. Pitts does well conveying the desperation of the character. It feels surreal being in an audience where we are watching a stalker watch someone else, but I suppose that reflects on the larger basis of our society. People watch people for entertainment.

Blink seems like a fantastic play and the Paris’ vision has been effectively executed. Meeting the cast was such a unique experience where their attachment to the characters makes you also attached in a way. It’s a play about crossing boundaries, infatuation, and the thought of being constantly watched in a digital society. If you blink you could miss something.