Managed Approach at the Gilded Balloon Patter House is an intimate, unsettling piece that takes us right into Abby’s bedroom in Holbeck, Leeds – a place with a double-edged history. Not only was Holbeck the site of the UK’s “Managed Approach” to prostitution in 2014 – where sex workers could operate legally between 8pm and 6am – it was also the hunting ground of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper in the late 70s/early 80s.

The play slips between Abby’s personal story and re-enacted interviews with real prostitutes, giving these women a voice and a presence that demands attention. Abby’s mother is constantly on edge – not just because of the modern dangers that her daughter faces, but because she lived through the years when women in West Yorkshire were told to stay indoors at night. Social lives, freedoms, and independence were curtailed by fear and by the authorities. Back then, Abby’s mother fought back, joining a ‘Reclaim the Night’ march. Now she takes the fight online, but her daughter is horrified by her mother’s approach to activism in the 21st century.

The cast is excellent, keeping the energy taut in the small venue. The staging is low to the ground, which adds to the feeling of peering into a private world – though be warned, unless you’re in the front row, you’ll find yourself craning your neck to see what’s happening.

It’s a play about place, memory, and how women’s lives are shaped by policies, predators, and protest. The audience were certainly enthralled by the play and the enthusiastic applause at the end was very well deserved.

****

Reviewed by Rona

Until 24 Aug (not 15)