Silence is a romance. Silence is a road movie. Silence is a visceral descent into the nature of power, religion, and gender roles.
Set in England around the turn of the first millennium, it has been arranged for Silence (Lily Thomson), Lord of Cumbria, to marry Ymma (Morgan Godfrey), a princess from Normandy. Assisting the couple is Roger (Lachlan Hughes), a priest, and Ymma’s handmaiden, Agnés (Chelsea Rabl).
Not that things are what you’d call, “harmonious”. Silence holds Viking beliefs, much to Roger’s horror, requiring a crash course in Christianity. Ymma is annoyed about much around her, not least being the fact Lord Silence is only 14 years old.
And those are all the obstacles Silence and Ymma must contend with *innocent look* except King Ethelred (Declan Magee) becomes obsessed with taking Ymma as his own wife, leading the wedding party, with the aid of Ethelred’s bodyguard, Eadric (Sebastian Langkamer), to attempt a desperate escape.
Simultaneously hilarious and horrific, Silence is a story told remarkably well by a group of exceptional artists, beginning with Freya Patience’s direction. The cues are sharp, the pace excellent, and the storytelling exquisite.
After an unassuming start, the tone turns unsettling, before inexorably and unapologetically going further. Things might get absurd (or literally hallucinogenic in one scene), but a quality of Freya’s and her cast’s work is that nothing feels inorganic.
And while the audience on opening night seemed perversely determined to laugh at most mentions of sexual violence, this is a reaction to the tension (at times torturous) onstage. The commitment being made is to the story being told instead of keeping an audience comfortable behind the 4th wall. In the black box of the Mechanics Institute, Adelaide Jones’ set is a genius fusing of castle, cart, and cave into one rolling piece.
Plaudits are also deserved for John Augustine Sharp and Sam Martin’s respective lighting and sound design, especially in the transitions, giving the play an unrelenting momentum not unlike the opening titles of Gasper Noe’s, Enter the Void. Also helping tell this High Middle Age story is some fine costume design and realisation by Freya and Sharron Patience.
Declan Magee’s King is a terrifying, unhinged portrayal of “divine right”, while Sebastian Langkamer’s Eadric is no less dangerous despite his lower status. Both characters feel an entitlement to a woman’s body that is repulsively portrayed in two excellent performances.
Roger’s role as priest, and Agnes’ role as servant are amusing to watch at first and ones they seem happy to play, before gradually testing the walls around them. Lachlan Hughes and Chelsea Rabl both gave strong, delightful performances that brought many needed laughs as the play took its darker turn.
Lily Thomson and Morgan Godfrey were stellar as Silence and Ymma, respectively. Silence may only be 14, but is no stranger to responsibility. Once he and Ymma begin their desperate flight from the King, Silence becomes familiar with curiosity and longing as well, all of which were wonderfully performed by Lily.
Ymma carries a lot of trauma and resentment, yet her heart is not closed off. Her strength and resilience in the face of so overwhelming dread were portrayed in compelling and brilliant fashion by Morgan.
Some moments may make your skin crawl or even have you reaching for the door, but for all its brutality, Silence is an entertaining and rewarding watch. Just remember to bring a coat.
Silence
Brunswick Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Performance: Friday 3 July 2026
Season continues to to 18 July 2026
Information and Bookings: www.humanitix.com
Images: Subverse Theatre presents Silence (supplied)
Review: June Collins