Frances Arnold has taken on an ambitious task: attempting to explore the meaning of art, the dichotomy of illusion versus reality, gender politics in the art world, as well as the difficulty of coping with the death of an acquaintance—all in one (less than) ninety-minute new play, Femme Fatale. The result is a somewhat imperfect, at times rather didactic, performance, but one that embodies the theatrical experimentation the Pembroke Players wish to display.

The play centres around three characters, an artist, a writer and a model—Al (Jake Leigh), Bea (Daisy Dent) and Cee (Francesca Lees). After the death of an acquaintance (who is never introduced), it follows the lives of the three artists as they each attempt to advance their careers. The portrayed art world of 60s London is one that lacks glamour, money and veracity—something particularly pertinent at a time when the arts are being so continually underfunded and undervalued. It is thought-provoking and, at times, darkly humorous.

“A playwright questioning the value of playwriting within her own play is an interesting paradox”

Aside from the first scene, which is slightly lacklustre, there are strong performances from the cast—particularly as the play progresses. Francesca Lees is particularly convincing as Celia, embodying her energy and hysteria admirably. With her character’s high and variable emotions, this part would have been easy to overdo, but Lees generally manages to avoid the trap of overacting. Jake Leigh is also very believable as the arrogant artist, Alfred, and brings an intensity to his scenes which is sometimes lacking elsewhere.

As has previously been mentioned, New Cellars is not the ADC. Do not go there expecting a large stage, complex lighting and props, because you will be disappointed. It is a smaller and more intimate setting, which the crew and actors must make of what they will. This means that lighting is often as simple as on, off, or even—if you’re feeling very quirky—red, while staging consists largely of a wooden frame posing as a window. But, despite this, the space is used well, and the costumes are very striking.

One of the most noticeable aspects of this script is how self-aware it is. This is intriguing—a playwright questioning the value of playwriting within her own play is an interesting paradox—but it did sometimes tend to be a little on the nose. The messages were often blatantly spelled out in ‘philosophical’ conversations between the actors that resembled drunken conversations I have overheard on a night out in Cambridge. All it needed was for someone to chime in "that’s so deep, man" and bang! you could be watching the musings of a group of teens, high on marijuana, in a noughties film. But maybe that is also the point—just how deep do the layers of self-awareness go? See what I mean, thought provoking.

This play is far from polished. But, it is wonderfully experimental in both its structure and its plot, very ambitious, and clearly fun to create.