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A review by onstandb1
Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton
3.0
This is the play that put a name to gaslighting, emotional manipulation with the intention of making the victim question their sanity, as everyone knows who's read this book. Often when "Gaslight" gets brought up people think of the 1944 Cukor film, but this is what that film is based on.
I think the topic of this play is so important, especially given the rise of domestic abuse reports under COVID-19. I really appreciated how Bella had been physically worn down by her husband, but then completely turns the tables on him as he is dragged away in disgrace, physically wearing him down instead. The framework of "be nice, be mean, be nice again, repeat" was used throughout, which I thought was incredibly important to highlight too. Abusive relationships aren't always 100% terrible all the time. The abuser may be lovely to their victim, to regain or gain their trust and vulnerability, or simply to stop them from leaving.
The reason it's a three-star though is that other than the end, Bella is essentially just a character created to be saved by a man. Detective Rough appears to do all the work in helping her escape Jack, and having her be created just so she could be saved by a big strong man was something I didn't enjoy about it. Granted it was written by Patrick Hamilton who had a history of misogyny in his writing, but I was disappointed that a play with such important cultural and psychological placement included such a clear damsel-in-distress character.
I think the topic of this play is so important, especially given the rise of domestic abuse reports under COVID-19. I really appreciated how Bella had been physically worn down by her husband, but then completely turns the tables on him as he is dragged away in disgrace, physically wearing him down instead. The framework of "be nice, be mean, be nice again, repeat" was used throughout, which I thought was incredibly important to highlight too. Abusive relationships aren't always 100% terrible all the time. The abuser may be lovely to their victim, to regain or gain their trust and vulnerability, or simply to stop them from leaving.
The reason it's a three-star though is that other than the end, Bella is essentially just a character created to be saved by a man. Detective Rough appears to do all the work in helping her escape Jack, and having her be created just so she could be saved by a big strong man was something I didn't enjoy about it. Granted it was written by Patrick Hamilton who had a history of misogyny in his writing, but I was disappointed that a play with such important cultural and psychological placement included such a clear damsel-in-distress character.