Persona, directed by Olivia Woods, demonstrates how much a strong cast can do with a less than sparkling script.
Four twenty-something school friends gather in a country house that is apparently an expensive Uber ride away from everything. Their host, James (Max Allen, who also wrote the script), is preparing a dinner for Rupert (Cameron Forrest), Geoffrey (Elliott Diner), and Gemma (Polly Towers), but the real purpose of the gathering is for James to read out the will of their deceased friend Justin.
A clause in the will means that Rupert, Geoffrey, and Gemma must agree on how to divide a substantial bequest among themselves. As they argue, and drink, and manoeuvre around each other, weaknesses and secrets get revealed, and zingers get traded. A game called “Persona” is mentioned repeatedly, but its mechanics are only hinted at. All we know is that it’s some type of role-playing exercise, and had previously left James murderously incensed with Gemma’s ex-boyfriend.
Rupert and Gemma are posh, and of a different stripe than the ex-military and American James, who is always a little awkward and never joins in the conversational riffing with quite the same confident rhythms as the other three. Geoffrey, though also American and not wealthy, seems to have been more accepted by the other two, perhaps because of his remarked-upon good looks.
All four characters are absolutely terrible people, which is not an insurmountable problem per se for a dark comedy. The TV show Succession achieved critical acclaim and a devoted following with much the same premise. Horrible people, especially when witty, can be fun to watch.
And these four are very entertaining. Towers, especially, drawls her lines with terrifying hauteur and coolly bats back the casual sexism lobbed towards her. Forrest makes the repulsive Rupert into entitlement personified, and Diner adeptly portrays Geoffrey’s status as the least secure of the trio of guests. As their host James, Allen deftly shows both the mismatch of the man to the group, as the outsider deemed non grata, and his hurt at his exclusion.
The problem is, it’s hard to care. Succession had the luxury of multiple series, plus unusually precise writing, to establish the humanising elements of its villains. Persona only has 50 minutes, minimal staging, and the claustrophobic and somewhat old-school “locked room” set of its dining table.
The talented cast make Persona enjoyable for its clever lines and for seeing just how nasty these loathsome individuals can get. As a vehicle for more incisive social commentary or psychological exploration, however, the script just isn’t quite there.
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