This play by Shelagh Stephenson combines a balance of poignant sensitive humour with profound emotional mindfulness as three daughters Mary, Teresa and Catherine return to their Northern childhood home for the first time in years on the eve of their mum’s funeral.
It is set in the winter of 1996
and tells the story of three very different sisters who are each grappling with
personal challenges and the ghosts of their past. It is a scene familiar to
many when family gather at a parents house for a funeral, and words are
exchanged due to memories being unearthed leading to secrets and raw feelings bubbling
to the surface. But the play isn’t maudlin, on the contrary it is very amusing
and has a light-hearted mood due to the engaging comedic script.
The three sisters decide to sort
out their mother’s clothes and possessions only to discover that their
recollections from childhood days don’t exactly match which leads them to
discover how varied memory can be transpiring to emotional personal exchanges and
heartfelt interactions with each other.
The six members of the cast truly
deserve high accolades. The main characters tackle a weighty script excellently
and deal outstandingly with the challenges of differing emotions. Vicky Binns (ex
TV Coronation Street) depicts Violet, the mother who has recently passed away. She
portrays a very intricate, demanding figure in her youth, loving being dressed
up to the nines and longs to be understood. Binns adds intensity and richness
to the part which is very moving.
Helen Flanagan, (ex TV Coronation
Street) genuinely excels as the youngest sister, Catherine. She captures her
blend of neurotic energy perfectly, displaying insecurity and a humorous
yearning for attention. Her part being given the bulk of the witty dialogue,
she achieved most of the evening’s biggest laughs and her comic timing is spot-on.
She captured Catherine’s personality and neurosis completely.
Victoria Brazier plays the eldest
sister, Teresa, depicting her as rather bossy, straight-laced, over practical
and rather resentful as to being the primary carer in their mother’s final days
of dementia. She captured her personality perfectly bringing an air of
authority and relatable acceptance to the character. She is convinced she is second-best and
overlooked.
Polly Lister as Mary, the middle
sister, a doctor with a challenging personal life, portrays her skilfully contradicting
the emotional turmoil she is experiencing. She blossoms as her story unfurls
and the scenes with the ghost of her mother are exceptionally engaging.
The three grown-up daughters
display childhood neediness in different ways in this finely acted production which
deals with emotional confrontations as the ghost of their mother comes back from the grave.
This 30th anniversary revival,
directed by Lotte Wakeham, delivers an evening of hilarious and deeply moving
entertainment which was greatly appreciated by the audience.
The set depicting the bedroom of
mother, Vi was consistent throughout with 1960’s furniture and décor along with
dresses fashionable of the era and the playing of hit song, ‘Dream a Little
Dream of Me’, from the Mamas and Papas at the start of the play and playing of hits
of Nat King Cole’s during the interval and the second half added to the
atmosphere of the era.
Further members of the cast excel
in their roles, Reginald Edwards as Frank and Charlie De Melo as Mike, both
adding credible performances.
The production is directed by
Lotte Wakeham, with Set & Costume Design by Katie Scott, Lighting by Laura
Howard and Sound by Andy Graham
This Shelagh Stephenson production
won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy and is an Octagon Theatre Bolton and
Liverpool & Everyman Playhouse co-production.
This production is entertaining,
thought-provoking with acerbic witty dialogue and should not be missed in its
run at the Everyman Theatre until the 14th of March. Tickets are available via
everymanplayhouse.com.
Reviewer – Anne Pritchard
On – 12th March 2026
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