THEATRE REVIEW: SAD - Omnibus Theatre, Clapham, London.

'SAD' is the title of a new play, directed by Marie McCarthy, which sums up the life of Gloria, who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder, who is grieving, but not grieving, the recent loss of her mother, killed by ‘the f@£$ing turkey!’; feeling sad on the death day anniversary of her beloved David Bowie and feeling the depths of the general sadness that is her life and the lives of all those around her. The story is told with some dark humour and some laugh-out-loud surprises!

The play opens with the gentle sounds of the waves and the figure of Gloria, snoozing in a deckchair; as the single bulb above her is illuminated, it is clear she is not on a beach but in a dreary attic, filled with the grey detritus of family life. The sleeping Gloria has taken refuge in this cleverly designed space, by Alys Whitehead. The attic provides Gloria with everything she requires for the withdrawal from her ‘normal’ life. The props reflect the chaos and turmoil of her life yet provide her with all that she needs; including a bucket with a lid and a dog bed for sleeping in!

Gloria, played by Debra Baker, is worn out and worn down by her life and has come to this point by the trauma of losing her mum on Christmas Day, she believes, as a result of her cooking! It later transpires it was in fact, a stroke that killed her. So Gloria now wants to record a memoire for her daughter who now lives in Australia, so she’ll have something left for her after she has gone. She spends much of the play recording sound bites, for Suzie, who it is hinted at only wanted to get away from her mum. Many themes that could be explored are not, and while there are some very witty lines, which reflect, the times that we are all living through; ‘where man-children rule the world!’, lots of the relationships and characters are not developed as well as they could have been. At times, it felt like thoughts are left hanging. Many of the frustrations she has are global truths and she doesn’t know what to do.

Graham, her husband, played by Kevin N Golding, wants her down from the loft, but doesn't know how to help her. He has tried sympathy, anger and ham sandwiches! The two share some poignant moments, but the frustrations are a wall between them at times. Magda, thoughtfully portrayed by Izabella Urbanowicz, is Gloria’s best friend and acts as a sounding-board for poor Graham. She shows dignity, despite the institutional racism she has to contend with, particularly when she meets Daniel played superbly by Lucas Hare, who is the neighbour, housing officer and some-time nighttime companion and banana-bringer of Gloria! This was a surprising twist in the tale and like all good stories, the characters’ lives all converge and their interactions weave their tales together.

'SAD' is a gentle tale of growing older, facing truths and looking for answers; with some strong performances by a talented cast. The sound, by Joe Dines, punctuated the story with memories of her youth and the lighting by Alex Thomas, offering an atmospheric break between scenes. 

'SAD' runs at the Omnibus Theatre until 30th of April.

Reviewer - Jo Meehan
on - 7.4.22