The Memory of Water

I had not seen this play before, and it has not been performed in the NODA East region since 2014 when it was nominated for Best Play.  So, I was looking forward to seeing it.

Family grievances do seem to surface at funerals and this play, written by Shelagh Stevenson, captures those raw emotions extremely well.  The standing set was very well done, credit to Sophie Bennett for the design and to Steve Onyon and Graham Lay for bringing it to life.  This, well built, set survived much door slamming, windows that could be climbed through and gave plenty of room for the action to unfold.

The story focuses on three sisters, each with their own reasons for not being close to the other two and the raw emotions these actresses displayed was very powerful.  They have gathered at their deceased mother’s bungalow to attend her funeral.

Mary, played by Anna Palmer is a successful doctor who is having an affair with another, married, doctor and, at first, seems to be very ‘together’.  However, as the story unfolds, we discover things about her past that have had a profound effect on her, and Anna portrays this developing change very well. 

Older sister Teresa owns an alternative therapy company with her husband and is the one who nursed the mother through the final stages of Alzheimers to her death. Played beautifully by Elaine Miller, she displayed the simmering resentment against the other two for what she perceived was their lack of support during their mother’s last days.  The character is teetotal and Elaine’s performance, as she drinks her way to oblivion, was a masterclass in understated, but powerful, acting.

The third sister, Catherine, played by Ebonie Mather, was excellent.  She portrayed the rebellious but extremely insecure youngest sister, with great enthusiasm and some very funny moments.  I particularly loved the way she displayed a continuous need for comfort and support which she did not get from her siblings.

The ghost of the mother, Vi, appears only to Mary and her appearances helped to make sense of the unfolding drama.  Played, with a natural accent, by Paula Hill, it was a very good performance.  The male members of the cast, Scott Welch (Mike, Mary’s doctor boyfriend) and Ralph Camp (Frank, Teresa’s husband) brought some welcome relief from the high emotions being shown by the sisters.  Their contributions to the play were valuable.

There were some very funny moments in the play which alleviated the tensions and Director Nick Vause has a light hand which made the play a complete joy to watch.  Yes, I was laughing out loud at some of it and holding my breath at other points.  A complete roller coaster of the evening, which I really enjoyed.

The play’s title refers to the theory that water retains the effects of healing long after it is washed away, and this was explained in the dialogue, by Mike.   But I am afraid it had no resonance for me, and water seemed to have no relevance.  However, that is the script and the title, so the company have to go with it.

Technically this was a well-constructed play, the aforementioned set was excellent, the lighting was good.  However, the play features the use of a telephone, for supposed incoming calls, quite a lot and at no point did it, actually, ring.  I am not sure if this was a technical hitch or deliberate.  I hope it was the former as it was disconcerting for the audience the first couple of times.

I was welcomed on my arrival and well looked after, thank you, and I left feeling satisfied that I had watched a powerful and thought provoking play, that was well produced and performed.

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