REVIEW | Her Shoes, Old Red Lion Theatre
Written by Bronagh
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The main question Her Shoes poses to us is relatively simple – can somebody disappear without trace? My initial reaction is that this is impossible, and then my mind wanders to high profile cases where people have quite literally disappeared without a trace. Claudia Lawrence, Suzy Lamplugh… it’s actually not unheard of but it is very rare, very strange and almost impossible to explain.
Her Shoes is Megan Marszal’s debut play, and what a smash for her! As well as writing the play, she is also our sole performer. She plays Emma, our main character whose sister Jean disappears without a trace. She also plays every other character; from Jean to a policeman, a barrister to numerous family members. Megan switches between characters effortlessly and with ferocious energy. Her Bristolian accent is on point, she slips into each character amazingly well. A strong performer, who I truly cannot wait to see more from.
The story is easy to follow, loosely based on a true story and reminiscent of high profile cases of a similar nature. We follow Emma as she tries to piece together what has happened to her sister, frantic and distraught. There were times throughout when I felt that the story was moving a little slowly and I just wanted to give it a bit of a nudge to move it on. Despite this, there was a lot packed in just over an hour. Not only do we scramble to work out what has happened to Jean, we also follow Emma and Jean’s mum following a cancer diagnosis. She receives the all clear – well, she still has cancer but not more cancer – and the joy and elation are felt in the tiny theatre space, which all comes crashing down to be replaced with feelings of sadness, confusion and grief.
Although small, the theatre space at the Old Red Lion Theatre worked perfectly for Her Shoes. There is a desk in the centre of the room and an office wheely chair which transforms into a comfy armchair, a hospital waiting room and a chair in a beauty salon to name a few. Crucially, the space also transforms into a forensics lab; between scenes we flick back to the forensics officer bagging up Jean’s shoes – one at a time, no longer in a pair – into evidence bags for the murder trial which comes at the end of the play. Lighting is used throughout to help set the scene and mood, from the darkness of the forensics lab to the bright lights of Emma’s engagement party to the even brighter lights of a court room.
The ending of Her Shoes is very powerful and moving. We are in a court room, Emma playing both a defence and a prosecuting barrister addressing the jury. Following their closing remarks, the lights fade and we are presented with closing credits projected onto a wall with an update on the jury’s decision, and ending on a very solemn note.
Overall I did enjoy Her Shoes, a fantastic debut from Megan. Her energy and skill are unlike that of a seasoned actor, and I seriously applaud her. The story was sensitively told, important given the elements of reality, and one that I do absolutely recommend seeing.
On at The Old Red Lion Theatre until 28th January 2024.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
