Image credit: Shay Rowan
Written by Christine Mackie
Directed by Sue Jenkins
Her Productions and Best Girl Productions
HOME
Two sisters-in-law come together to bury one man. Robert was a husband to Kay and a big brother to Steph but as the play unfolds it would appear that Robert was so much more as family secrets are revealed and his grieving wife discovers she has just buried a man she barely knew. So far so good in this all female led, meaty saga written by Christine Mackie. This is gutsy, character led drama written to celebrate story telling for women of a certain age and it certainly delivers on all those fronts. There is gritty realism, high drama and even a few post- menopausal punches… weilding fists not fans!
This dark family tale with multiple twists and turns is further strengthened by assured performances from both leads in this two-hander. Roberta Kerr is excellent as Kay, a working class woman who has forged a successful independent business career despite marrying old money in the gentrified Robert. Her performance veers from brusque, pragmatic keep calm and carry on to moments of desperate hurt and pure rage and consternation as Steph blithely tears her world asunder. Kerr makes every moment and gesture count ensuring her on stage presence commands your attention. Steph is equally complex but is a harder watch on stage as her story arc unfolds. Kerry Willison-Parry does a great job delivering many of the witty one-liners as the feckless youngest daughter in a blue-blooded family full of dark secrets. However her character is by turns so utterly loathsome and irritating that it is difficult to feel genuine empathy and affection for this damaged women who has never really grown up and matured. Even in the final moments of the play it seems like her attempts to mother effectively will require Kay to mother her.
These two women unpick the historic family dynamics in a way that repeatedly pulls them closer then blows them apart until a potentially redemptive ending that may just herald a new beginning for both of them. Director Sue Jenkins ensures that the bleaker dramatic moments are laced through with a blend of dark humour, tea and Chardonnay. There are however concerns where occasional moments of slightly hammed up humour land awkwardly and risk some of the more harrowing events in this production losing their full emotional impact. I can only commend both actresses for maintaining their composure in a particularly poignant scene despite several audience members guffawing throughout a scene that deals with some incredibly sensitive topics. This full length play has all the elements of a juicy Radio 4 play or the Christmas evening episode of a major Soap opera. It’s great to see women writing and creating vivid stories together for themselves and for each other.
Live Art Alive 