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Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Strong voices and difficult choices in Shakespeare & Company's ‘The Victim'
There's enduring wisdom in E.B. White's famous advice to young writers: 'Don't write about Man . Write about a man." In another words, tell a story about one person or a small group of people that helps illuminate the larger story. Advertisement Theater-makers frequently try to link their productions to the current political or social environment. Those linkages can feel contrived or overwrought, a strained attempt to find 'relevance.' Not this time. Not when each day in America seems to bring new, ominous images that suggest the machinery of authoritarianism is revving up. (Men in masks snatching people off the street? Really?) Not when certain elected leaders see political gain in pitting us against one another. Advertisement 'The Victim' is built on three interconnected monologues among women of three different generations: Ruth ( While our current predicament is never far from the mind when watching 'The Victim,' Gidron and his topflight trio of actors make sure to pull us into the particulars of their characters' lives and experiences. There is a specificity to their portrayals; there's nothing facile or abstract about Goodman's writing, and the cast brings a similar rigor to their performances. When they are not speaking, the actors sit impassively in chairs at the edge of the stage in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. Miller, Clayman, and King give performances that are compelling by dint of their sheer discipline. Their delivery is measured, as if they are giving testimony, until and unless they need to dial it up to drive home the horror of a particular event. Each of the performances contains its own stand-alone force, while also adding to the cumulative impact of 'The Victim.' First to speak is Daphne, who spells out what happened to her mother, Ruth (Miller). When she was 12, the Nazis invaded Ruth's town in Ukraine, forced 800 Jewish residents to disrobe, herded them into a large ditch, then systematically murdered them. Ruth somehow survived and spent two days hidden beneath the dead bodies of her mother, father, and three sisters. Daphne has undergone racial diversity training at work. In light of that harrowing family history, Daphne objects to the term 'white privilege.' As the COVID-19 pandemic creates overcrowding in the hospital where she works, Daphne, her heart hardened, draws the wrong lesson from that training and makes a terrible choice, responding to a Latino patient in crisis with shocking inhumanity. Advertisement Next to speak is Maria (King), the daughter of that patient. A Dominican-American home health aide in her late 20s who immigrated to the US legally, Maria had accepted Daphne's offer of a job as caregiver for Ruth, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The relationship of employer and employee is a minefield from the start in both their tellings; Daphne reacts with furious disbelief when Maria seems to equate Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo with Hitler. Maria's own mother has health issues, and when the mother experiences a medical emergency, Maria makes a quick judgment call that brings matters to a full boil with Daphne. Meanwhile, Maria's young son has been called an ethnic slur in his school. Fear has entered the life of a formerly confident kid. Last to speak is Ruth, who begins with the moment her 12-year-old self emerged from that mass grave in Ukraine and went in search of shelter and protection. What she found initially seems like the opposite of both, a kind of brutalization by other means. But humanity is full of surprises. Ruth's life is saved when the least likely of people makes a choice that reflects the trace of goodness that remains. THE VICTIM Play by Lawrence Goodman. Directed by Daniel Gidron. Shakespeare & Company, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox. Through July 20. Tickets $27-$85. At 413-637-3353, Advertisement Don Aucoin can be reached at
Elle
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
'Dept. Q's Chloe Pirrie Reveals The Surprising Change Netflix Made From The Book
It's the show on the tip of the world's tongue, but there are notable differences between Netflix's adaptation of Dept. Q and the novel series by Jussi Adler-Olsen that the nine-episode show is based upon. For the uninitiated, Dept. Q, which is inspired by the first in Adler-Olsen's novel series, The Keeper of Lost Causes, tells the story of Detective Morck in the wake of his attack being assigned to lead a newly-assembled cold case unit. With a Mötley Crüe of unlikely peers, Detective Morck is tasked with his unit's first investigation: the mysterious disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie) several years earlier. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE Indeed, in a new interview, Pirrie has elucidated a little further about the origins of her character, who, she reveals, is actually a politician in the novel Mercy. While the Merritt Lingard's job in the novels differs from that in the Netflix series, the essence of the character's journey remains the same. 'Ultimately, she's a person whose past catches up with her,' Pirrie said. 'In really, the most hideous terrifying way, that the human brain could imagine. Which is something Scott [Frank, the series creator] is so good at, that thing of crafting a story where you torture the characters in various ways, with their darkest secrets and fears.' That's not the only creative difference the streaming platform made with the books. The novels, which are written by a Danish author, are set in Copenhagen — but the Netflix series was set in and around Edinburgh. It was, in fact, Pirrie's previous role in ITV murder mystery The Victim (opposite her Dept. Q co-star Kelly Macdonald, no less) that fuelled her preparation for her role as Merritt in Dept. Q. 'I did quite a lot of research then [for The Victim] about how it works. And there's all these amazing shows on TV now, like the Murder Trial series, which is about real life cases. And so there's a lot actually out there of footage of people doing this job. It's a very particular job with its own set of rules and social conduct,' she said. Dept. Q is available to stream on Netflix now. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
Cosmopolitan
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Department Q's Chloe Pirrie reveals surprising change Netflix series made from book show is based on
The latest thriller series to take Netflix's top 10 by storm is the new nine-part series Department Q. Inspired by the novel series of the same name by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, Department Q follows the life of Detective Carl Morck who is set up in a new department to solve cold cases. And for his first case he attempts to solve the disappearance of Merritt Lingard, a prosecutor who went missing from a ferry boat four years previously. In a terrifying twist, it appears Merritt is being held by a family in a tank for something she did in her childhood. However, as a prosecutor Merritt initially believes she is being punished for something she did in her career attempting to get justice, a fact which is very different from the book. Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK, Chloe Pirrie, who plays Merritt in Department Q reveals Merritt is actually a politician in the novel Mercy, upon which the series is based on. However, while the job is in fact very different, Pirrie reveals the essence of the Merritt's journey is still very similar in both book and TV series. "Ultimately, she's a person whose past catches up with her," she said. "In really, the most hideous terrifying way, that the human brain could imagine. Which is something Scott [Frank, the series creator] is so good at, that thing of crafting a story where you torture the characters in various ways, with their darkest secrets and fears." Pirrie, 37, who has previously appeared in Carnival Row, The Queen's Gambit, and Under the Banner of Heaven, had already played a lawyer in a former role, when she appeared in The Victim alongside her Department Q co-star Kelly Macdonald. Working in this show then enabled her to have even more knowledge for the role of Merritt. Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK she said: "I did quite a lot of research then [for The Victim] about how it works. And there's all these amazing shows on TV now, like the Murder Trial series, which is about real life cases. And so there's a lot actually out there of footage of people doing this job. It's a very particular job with its own set of rules and social conduct." Pirrie insists that despite Merritt's career and romantic relationship, family is the biggest thread tying everything together in the series. When asked what she envisions for Merritt following the end of season one, Pirrie said: "She just goes through so much. Scott said it himself, everything he writes, he says, 'it's kind of about family.' And I think family is at the heart of the show. And so something that helps to heal those wounds which are very much connected to family, I want that for her." As for whether we'll get to see that for Merritt and her brother William is still to be determined as the show has not yet been confirmed for a season two but we're keeping our fingers crossed. Department Q is available on Netflix now
