The Moth by Paul Herzberg begins its journey when South African born Marius, played by Micky Cochrane, asks to use the seat opposite John (Faz Singhateh) on the train back from Edinburgh. John is a Black British man whose roots began in South Africa, where he fled as a child with his father. Their worlds had crossed, yet their experiences were poles apart.
What makes this play shocking is the fact it is based on the true story of Marius. The ex-soldier appears to be an open book much of the time with John, and shares his lived experiences and the awful things that will happen during combat. Which John isn’t impressed with.
Marius decides that John is his chosen confidant, although this isn’t always consensual, and John pushes him away quite often. Is it billed that Marius is seeking forgiveness from John, although I didn’t necessarily read his character in that way. I think the audiences will make up their own minds, and we will not all reach the same conclusion.
John’s character is a public television presenter who makes a living from people who interviews and their raw and honest “truth” has in turn given Johna a very comfortable life. His main subject that he has used is the confessions and conversations of Marius, where nothing has been off-topic!
The Moth battles with nature versus nurture throughout the play from both characters. Your beginnings can shape you, and learned behaviour can be hard to change, especially when you are trying to impress an abusive parent. However, the real strength happens when you turn your back on it and decide to change your future on your terms.
There are some parts of Marius’s life experiences I could relate to. Although to say which ones would mean leaking spoilers and I will not do that.
A multi layered play dealing with misguided parenting, the damage and long-term effects from trauma and ptsd and the true cost of racism told from both sides. Nobody fully understands what it takes to walk in someone else’s shoes and how you might react in fight or flight situations. It would be easy to despise Marius,yet there’s something about his search for understanding himself and the consequences of his actions that left me feeling concerned for how he was now dealing with his future and coming to terms with his past.
It’s a challenging play to watch at times, and I can imagine director Jake Murray faced challenges bringing this emotive play to the stage.
For more information about The Moth and future productions at The Finborough Theatre, please use the link below.
Four and a half Stars.
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