Review: THE GUILTY at Donmar Warehouse

The Donmar Warehouse’s latest opener THE GUILTY based on the Danish movie Den Skyldige from 2018, is directed by Felix Barrett with the sort of tautness usually reserved for Wimbledon tennis racquet strings. We’re lured-in gently through the mundanities and trivialities which must be bread and butter to anyone in such a role. Someone’s neighbours are having a party, “What’s your emergency?” asks Joe repeatedly, to the increasing annoyance of the plummy voiced complainer. There’s a guy who calls from King’s Cross wanting the police to investigate the theft of his laptop and other possessions. As he drills for further facts, Joe evidently has little sympathy or patience for men who invite scantily-clad east European-sounding women into their cars and then rely on the police to bail them out when things take a turn for the worse.

On Alex Eales’ simple office set, (desks, computers, water machine and screwed-up paper balls scattered about the wastepaper basket) red lights flash as each emergency comes in and their jarring ringtones reverberate around the claustrophobic space. Each instance elicits a mixture of calm consideration, care or contempt. Joe is methodical in his questioning, and occasionally blunt, barely managing to muster the patience required to remain civil in Chloë Moss’ sharply-scripted adaptation. One wonders momentarily if such responses (all recorded for training purposes) are part and parcel of the job in the real world.

Things build. Joe is somehow involved in a court appearance tomorrow and wants to make sure a colleague is still on-message with their rehearsed answers. He rebuffs a journalist from The Independent who has somehow obtained his new mobile number, and he grabs the chance of a phone call with his young daughter Freya when she answers mummy’s mobile. All of these moments reveal background detail, confirming our role as the piercers-together of this forensic puzzle.

Then things take a turn at the end of his shift. A woman is being abducted in the back of a van. Her tone is frightened and responses hushed. Joe’s training kicks-in and through the urgency of his desire to resolve the situation and we witness the personality traits which make up this man. Throughout the piece the strong contribution by the unseen voice cast adds light touches and heft by turns, bringing each situation vividly to life in our minds. The final moments provide a fantastic Coup de théâtre leaving the audience buzzing as they head out into the humid Covent Garden night air.

THE GUILTY plays straight through at a snappily structured 1 hour, and continues at Donmar Warehouse until 15th August.