CANCEL CULTURE

Debut play 'Spanish Oranges' is a searing study of a celebrity marriage upended by scandal

- Geordie Greig

Fame and infamy are toxic bedfellows in this gripping psychodrama, which explores a famous male actor's cancellation in a sex scandal, and the subsequent fallout for his family.

Spanish Oranges, the debut play by Alba Arikha, the novelist and goddaughter of Samuel Beckett, explores how decent women suffer and perpetuate bad relationships with astonishing patience until the truth is so bad that they snap.

Fiona, a novelist on the cusp of fame for her new book, threatens to overshadow her husband as his thespian ego and career crumple, and his reputation worsens. She is doing her best to cope as Peter, the “famous actor”, is cancelled for inappropriate behaviour, including threatening her.

The tension is palpable as we witness her submit to a newspaper interview with a critic from