Mercy of Sisters

“Mercy of Sisters” was written by Grace Bartle for a scriptwriting MA at the University of East Anglia.  Set in the Norfolk town of North Walsham, the action takes place on Floss’s fiftieth birthday as she welcomes her siblings to the house she shares with their elderly mother.  The tensions within the family are revealed amongst the memories and reminiscences as Floss seeks to reset her life on her own terms, but the others prove reluctant to take any responsibility for their mother’s care and wellbeing.

The Combe Hub is a disused Methodist Chapel which was acquired by the village about ten years ago and now provides a flexible space for community use.  It’s an intimate venue, with a single step up to the modest stage area and limited technical facilities, but the set design worked with the space rather than against it and utilised the surfaces on top of the permanent wooden cupboards at the back of the stage, along with a couple of tables, to lay out the buffet, drinks, decorations and general party paraphernalia.

In a space this small you can’t fudge anything, but the excellent set dressing included everything from a mouth-watering array of sandwiches and cakes, through a convincing selection of wines and spirits to some optimistically celebratory party hats.  The lighting design ensured that there weren’t any obvious shadows on the back wall, while the sound effects were well synchronised to the onstage action.  The contemporary costumes were well matched to the characters, with Floss’s jeans and cardigan, an understated look for a fiftieth birthday party, telling us quite a lot about her situation and emotions.

As the director, Grace clearly understood how to use this intimate space, and this understanding was evident in the actors’ performances.  There is no need to project your lines to the back of the hall as it’s only a few feet away, and for the most part the actors spoke their lines simply and clearly, with any tendency to shout mostly confined to moments when tempers were raised.  The company knew their lines well, and cues were hit appropriately, although ellipses were generally avoided even when it would have sounded more authentic to have lines overlapping or even two characters speaking over each other.  The blocking was effective, with actors slipping seamlessly between centre stage and the margins of the action as necessary.

I often worry when an author directs their own work, as a director can act as a respected critical friend and challenge any aspects of the play, perhaps particularly beloved of the writer, which aren’t quite working on stage.  Happily, Grace evidently has excellent judgment and a good ear, as the play as presented is a fascinating study of the tensions which can emerge within a family group when there are too many secrets and vested interests, together with insufficient communication and a mutual lack of trust.  The party setting and the declining health of the siblings’ mother provided the context and catalyst for the narrative, which proved to be both thought-provoking and entirely believable; in this respect it reminded me of Miguel Falabella’s “The Inheritance”, in which a mother’s death reunites four sisters who have pursued very different paths in life.  “Mercy of Sisters” is distinctive in that it is shot through with observational humour: it’s not exactly a comedy, but it was consistently relevant and amusing.  I thought that the description of walking groups as “Tinder for oldies” was particularly insightful …

This is a fine original work which explores some of the difficulties which can all too often arise in families when an ageing or ailing relative is in need of significant care.  The play treats its subject matter seriously but with a light touch which kept the audience laughing throughout.  The presentation was similarly accomplished: the company understood their roles and delivered performances appropriate to the intimate venue, and the production values were impressively high.  There’s always a financial risk when an amateur company is brave enough to stage new work, but the Combe Hub was packed on the Friday evening so hopefully this was a risk that has paid off for the Stonesfield Players.  I think this might not be the last we hear of “Mercy of Sisters”.

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