EXCLUSIVE: Killing Eve star Jodie Comer received an instant standing ovation and roars of approval from the audience attending the penultimate preview on Monday night of Prima Facie, a one-person play about sexual assault that also marks Comer’s West End stage debut. Above and below are exclusive first-look images from the production.
And what a truly stunning debut it is. Comer is phenomenal and commands the stage.
The powerful drama, by Australian-based attorney turned playwright Suzi Miller, has its official opening night on Wednesday.
Comer, 29, is giving a fearless, faultless performance as Tessa, a criminal barrister who specialise at defending rapists. Tessa, described in Miller’s play as a ‘thoroughbred’ lawyer, has used her skills not just to defend men, but also to denigrate their victims.
Then she is sexually assaulted herself and is forced to rail against the very system she used to her advantage in the past, where victims of sexual assault are often disbelieved.
However, there has already been much chatter about the possibility of it heading to Broadway, plus there’s talk of Miller writing a feature film version.
James Bierman, the play’s producer and general manager through his Empire Street Productions banner, told Deadline that Prima Facie has the “potential to be something” and confirmed that he and the production would like to transfer to New York.
However, if time allows, Bierman told Deadline that Comer would like to take the play to Liverpool, her hometown.
“It would be amazing to take it to Liverpool, schedules permitting, and Broadway deserves to see the piece,” Bierman told Deadline. He added that he’d like it to have another limited season in London, where it has been playing to full houses.
Bierman noted that a play can have a transformative effect and that Prima Facie “feels like it can be a really powerful agent” in the discussions about how victims of sexual assault are treated by the police and the courts.
Citing official figures, Bierman said: “That every eight minutes a woman reports a rape in the UK,” but just a tiny percentage of those ended up in court, with a conviction rate of 35%.
Miller told this reporter that her play hinges on the “Yes, the sex happened but was it consensual … or not? It’s her word against his.”
During her legal career, Miller took statements from women who’d been victims of sexual attacks .”I don’t know of any sexual assault statement that I’ve ever taken where I could ever be convinced that the women were lying,” said Miller.
Prima Facie was first staged in Australia. However, once Comer was cast by director Justin Martin, the decision was made to give Tesla’s voice a Liverpudlian working class flavour, though in the courtroom scenes the accent is slightly posher.
The National Theatre will transmit a performance of Prima Facie, that’s being filmed on June 14, and will be transmitted via an NT Live broadcast on July 21.