REVIEW: Convicted Flower at Etcetera Theatre, Camden Fringe 25 – 27 August 2023

‘a moving portrayal of a woman navigating the legal system’ ★★★

“Who says a woman can kill the same way a man can?” asks Roberta, after killing her abusive husband out of fear for the safety of her daughter. Based on the play Flor de Presidio by playwright Juan González Bonilla, we are introduced to Roberta as she awaits her retrial for a murder she has already been convicted of. Joan Villafañe pulls every emotion from her audience through her depiction of this character, parallel to the sad irony of her finding her freedom despite being in prison.

Villafañe makes full use of the Etcetera Theatre, and plays numerous roles alongside Roberta to narrate the process of her retrial. Although an interesting idea to have multiple characters played by one actor, it was sometimes ineffective. The closing speech by the defence was an example of this working well, appealing to the emotions of the jury before the vote. An earlier example, a speech by another legal character who opposed Roberta’s freedom, was less effective. It simply felt like, at this point in the play, that Villafañe was acting out parts that slowed down the movement of the already short piece, and failed to make use of the time.

The audience, upon entering, is presented with a ballot on which they must vote on the verdict of Roberta’s retrial. Although we are provided with limited specifics on the actual case before being asked to cast a verdict, it cleverly reflects how, as Roberta states herself, these cases are often led by the public, and turned into media spectacles that can have an effect on the outcome of the trial. This was an effective way to engage the audience, and ensured they paid attention to any details that could alter their verdict throughout the play. 

My main point of concern, however, was Villafañe’s script-in-hand performance for some of her characters. While this worked as a prop that a judge may have in a courtroom, the repeated referral to the script caused lapses in speech, and made those particular sections unbalanced. This was a shame, as Villafañe’s delivery of memorised script had the audience focused and excited. Despite this being for only a small section of the show, it left the play as a whole feeling unfortunately underprepared.

Visually, this piece was enticing and exciting for the audience. The tempo of character changes was done well as a whole, not too frequent to become confusing but not too scarce to become useless. The likening of her daughter Rose to the bunch of flowers I found particularly clever, and portrays well the importance of Rose in the decisions that Roberta makes.

While sadly underdeveloped and confusing in some areas, this play is still a moving portrayal of a woman navigating the legal system and finding freedom in her actions.

Convicted Flower has finished its run at the Camden Fringe.

Convicted Flower, devised and performed by Joan Villafañe, devised and directed by Frances Arroyo-Lopez, music by Daniel Toney

Reviewed by Seb Gardiner:

Seb is a playwright living and working between London, Oxford, and Manchester. He has written five plays, the most recent of which was performed in Manchester with the Peripeteia Theatre Company over August and September 2022.