(Picture: Helen Murray)
When Charlie Josephine’s play re-imagining Joan of Arc as transgender was first announced, it was condemned, unseen and unread, as an appropriation of an iconic female story. Experienced live, it strikes me as an expansive, unifying and overall joyful piece of work - baggy at times but too subtle for a hot culture-war take.
It features an astonishing, star-making professional debut from non-binary actor Isobel Thom as a goofy, charismatic Joan, at the head of a tight ensemble. Ilinca Radulian’s production deftly fuses text, music, movement and design, and exploits the unique dynamic at the Globe between actor and audience. Overall, it feels like a bit of a game-changer.
