Fast

Hazzard Warning

Fast

by Katie Barton and Stephen Bennett

Stephen Leslie Productions, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate until 17^th November

Review by Stephen Oxford

‘How far would you go to find the perfect cure?’ is the strap line for this play.  A question which is as relevant today as it was back in the early 1900’s when this piece is set.  ‘Dr’ Linda Hazzard’s seminars (one of which we witness), newspaper adverts and books perhaps offered society a glimpse of what we now know as celebrity influencers, protein shake peddlers and diet pill pushers. The parallels are all too familiar. 

Fast is the true story of ‘Dr’ Linda Hazzard, a complex and utterly driven woman — whose promotion, in the early 1900s, of her own radical fasting cure, gripped the press and divided a nation.  But this is a complex scenario.  Hazzard was vilified as an interfering woman in a man’s world, and in the play, she is quick to fight her corner on this front.  John Harvey Kellogg, a contemporary of Hazzard also lost patients but was not scrutinized by the press in the same way.  Writers Kate Barton and Stephen Bennett present a good argument.

We meet Hazzard giving a seminar.  She speaks directly to us, making assumptions about our health issues and offering us alternative suggestions to improve our wellbeing.  She is charismatic, smart and captivating.  We like her.  We then meet Dora and Claire, two English sisters who travel to Hazzard’s sanatorium to undergo a six-week fasting treatment.  All seems perfectly innocent, but as the plot unfolds, their stay at ‘Starvation Heights’ takes a turn for the worse and we start to see a different side to the ‘doctor’.

The period costumes from production designer Junis Olmscheid are hugely impressive, but the set leaves much to the imagination and better lighting would add more atmosphere to the piece.  Maia von Malaisé is convincing as Claire, one of the English sisters but despite her rapid decline under Hazzard’s care, appears remarkably healthy with immaculate make up for someone in her final throws of life.  There are really strong performances from Imogen Grey as Dora and Jermaine Dominique as the inquisitive and persistent journalist Horace Cayton, but unarguably this production is lit up by the breath-taking portrayal of Linda Hazzard from the immensely talented Sarah Thom.  We are completely taken in, manipulated and at times, made to feel on edge in this fascinating psychological thriller.   

Whilst there are a few rough edges to this production, witnessing the electric battle between Hazzard and Cayton as the plot unfolds is well worth a night out at the theatre.

Was Hazzard a villain or an inspiration to woman wanting to work in the health sector?  That’s for you to decide and this production will certainly make you think. 

Stephen Oxford, October 2024

Photography courtesy of Stephen Leslie Productions