REVIEW: LAIKA by Aliya Gilmore at Barons Court Theatre 20-24 June 2023

‘Gilmour satisfyingly and confidently delivers Laika’s story, making the horror of Laika’s fate truly tangible’ ★★★ ½

It’s possible to suggest that, throughout the west, far beyond our polarised political views and the disparity of our living conditions, we can be united by our sentimental love for dogs. Growing up I was familiar with American movies like Homeward Bound and All Dogs Go To Heaven, but long before that there was Lassie and Old Yeller, whereas more recently Marley and Me and A Dog’s Purpose continue the tradition. On screen and in our lives, dogs radiate joy, trust and love. What’s more, the dislike of dogs is Hollywood shorthand for surliness and a lack of emotional warmth - Charles Grodin’s crotchety father in Beethoven springs to mind. To many, dogs are more than just pets, they are members of the family. They are preternaturally loving children, without the temper tantrums and tears that human offspring bring. Your loyal dog will come to your rescue no matter the peril; a cat will watch you die then feed on your remains.

With this in mind, what better way to examine the cultural and political divide between the Eastern and Western bloc during the Cold War and the race for space, than the story of Laika? Aliya Gilmore’s play examines the title character, not as a dog per se, but as a pure-hearted soul who is delivered a horrifying death sentence by her trusted caretaker. Perhaps most cruelly, Laika’s fate is sealed precisely because of her good nature. Unlike the other children, she is obedient, dutifully performing the various training procedures necessary to perform her doomed solo mission. It is this unfailing loyalty that makes her the ideal subject for the Soviet’s alarming experiment.

In providing perspective, the play is eminently successful. Gilmore satisfyingly and confidently delivers Laika’s story, making the horror of Laika’s fate truly tangible. There is some beautiful poetic writing accompanying some of Laika’s more profound observations, her innocent eyes wide open to the secrets of the universe. Like all children, Laika learns about the world through stories, which she later uses to self-soothe when she is sent on her lonely mission. When Laika pirouettes under her papa’s punitive supervision, it’s easy to see in her the shadows of every vulnerable child exploited by a cruel authority.

In one of the play’s more self-important moments, papa (Ben Willows) asks the audience to consider the worth of Laika’s suffering against all that can be learned from Sputnik 2. Across the world, in all cultures, animals are routinely, brutally mistreated in appalling ways for the benefit of mankind. Indeed, another American staple, Moby Dick, is concerned with the ritual slaughter of intelligent, beautiful marine animals. Yet, within only a few decades, the Save the Whales movement of the 1970s successfully changed the conversation, and today there is a ban on hunting whales in almost all countries. The hypocrisy whereby some animals are protected whilst others are brutalised is a fascinating conversation, particularly when viewed along cultural and/or historical lines. The play’s failure to directly deal with this makes the overall piece feel partially underdeveloped.

In the title role, Isabel McGrady is beautifully watchable as a fanciful child, consumed with love for her papa (Willows), who in turn performs his part with the rigidity and borderline sadism that typifies the Hollywood Soviet scientist. The importance of music and design are central to the success of this piece of theatre. A Stranger Things style soundtrack mournfully underscores live music performed by composers Owen Kennedy and Nico Wood-Olivan, which successfully evokes the empty horror and devastating beauty of deep, cold space. Other, more low budget set pieces include careful drawings produced by an imagined Laika, consumed with the dream of stars and galaxies. Meanwhile, the continued use of a table as a central set piece, which swayed dangerously on its legs when used, distracted from the overall effect. Despite this, the music, set design and lighting are accomplished in their transformation of the Barons Court theatre and add to the engrossing, almost claustrophobic effect.

Laika by Aliya Gilmore

Barons Court Theatre, 20-24 June,

Laika by Aliya Gilmore | Barons Court Theatre

Reviewed by Natalie MacKinnon