The Memory of Water

As soon as the stage curtains opened, it was clear that this was going to be an interesting evening - the set was a bedroom complete with furniture, and surfaces cluttered with haphazard items of life, spilling out of half open drawers, and stuffed on top of the wardrobe, with an appropriate level of chaos and comforts. The decoration was authentic with faded pictures on the two-tone walls, chipped architrave and a substantial crack in the wall due to subsidence.

 

The play, by Shelagh Stevenson, has three sisters meeting on the eve of their mother’s funeral, and before long conflicts of the past converge in this witty portrayal of family lies and tensions.

 

All three ladies were played with confidence and were engaging in their own way, Michelle Edgington as Mary was a world-weary GP, longing to the loved, with entertainingly terse conversations with her dead mother. Heather Sims played Teresa the compulsive organiser, who was spiteful when drunk, with an impressive ability to deliver dialogue even when laid down staring at the ceiling. Nikita Eve was both hyperactive and unstable as Catherine the self-absorbed drifter, with a real talent for acting out painfully awkward one-sided phone calls. Their interactions had both real warmth and bite, showing the fragile relationships, wanting to like each other more, but reverting to type through grief and stress.

 

Chris Selden played Frank, Teresa’s husband, as a solid likeable character, the voice of sense, even after travelling 16 hours. Mike, Mary’s married boyfriend (and semi-famous TV doctor) is a tricky role, Jonathan Daws had a broody quietness, with moments of passion, though his delivery of the 'memory of water' scientific explanation seemed more like reciting from a textbook than driven by genuine interest.

 

Vi, the recently deceased mother was played by Karen Smith, whose vagueness and indignant recollections seemed appropriate to her dementia, though needed some prompts for her dialogue. The technical effect used to display Vi as a head and torso apparition, floating 8 foot off the ground was stunning. I’m a bit of a theatre tech-nerd, and love to understand how special effects are achieved, this one was well planned and delivered, and hugely impressive, having a hazy apparition in live conversation with an actor on the stage.

 

Voice projection was consistent throughout, with everyone wearing mics, and the volume set fairly high. All actors had good awareness of placements and avoiding blocking each other. There were no scene changes, except for the placement of a coffin, bringing mum home for her last night. A thoughtful use of props, though the men’s overnight bag and backpack looked a little light when carried, maybe needed some weight added.

 

Costumes were appropriate for the characters, each having their own style of daywear, nightwear, and funeral wear, and the content of Vi's wardrobe was a highlight, prompting an amusing dress-up scene for the three ladies.

 

This play is an impressive directing debut for Neil Smith, with a clear vision for the characters, handling the change of pace and emotions through their personal struggles and shared grief, and ensuring that dialogue had meaning and impact. There was good placement of characters using the furniture, as well as stillness at times to draw the audience focus, letting the script and skill of the actors tell the story. It was a brave decision to keep Mary in bed for the first 30mins of the play!

 

My guest and I received a very warm welcome from the front of house team, and were well looked after. It was lovely to have past production programmes and photo folders available to browse in the foyer, and I appreciated speaking to Neil the director before the show.

 

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