★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Bronagh

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

Contains references to suicide, domestic violence, strong Language, mental health issues, Sudden loud noises and allusions to child abuse.

Leaves of Glass, directed by Max Harrison, has landed at the Park Theatre sixteen years after its debut at the Soho Theatre. The long-awaited revival explores memory, trauma and manipulation, clearly showcasing why it has been named a modern classic. Leave of Glass begins by tiptoeing around a secret, something that went on years prior between brothers Steven and Barry, played by Ned Costello and Joseph Potter respectively. Neither can talk about it, unable to address the deafening silence – ‘our secret’.

All characters are played superbly, and in my opinion, do bounce off each other well. Ned plays the down to Earth East London geezer well, running a successful graffiti cleaning company and employing Barry when he can’t hold down a job. The transition into the angry and confused Steven is quick and seamless. His soliloquies take us back to his childhood, and snapshots of memories of his father who died years previously in an ‘accident’.

Katie Buchholz gives an air of sitcom style humour, which also weaves into feelings of frustration when her own feelings and accusations come to light. Kacey Ainsworth portrays a stereotypical fierce matriarchal figure, who is charming at times but also doesn’t hide her almost resentment for her younger son and his life choices. Kacey stepped into this role recently, the shorter rehearsal time is not apparent at all. Joseph Potters’s performance as Barry was stand out for me, with the right amount of emotion and fragility mixed with his hopefulness and comedic moments. He is the driving force that confronts his family’s mistruths, and misremembrance of the past culminating in a standoff with Stephen, lit only by a candelabra left by their father.

As time goes on severe accusations towards Steven and dark moments from the past start to bubble to the surface; abuse, domestic abuse, extra marital affairs. Barry is also making accusations, which Stephen is keen to bury, to rewrite. The main theme in Leaves of Glass is memory, recounting stories from the past and the unreliability of any one person’s account and how these accounts can be swayed to portray them in a positive light; a key example is Liz saying she wished she had one of Barry’s paintings on her living room wall, when earlier we saw her say how horrible she thought these paintings were and why would anybody want them on their living room wall.

The staging is very simple and makes use of a small space, using four black benches to contain the action and they also move around accordingly. Minimal props are used, and the lighting is adjusted to set the scene perfectly.

Leaves of Glass is a stellar production, showcasing some real talent in a gem of a theatre. The themes had the potential to get messy and confusing, however, I found them to be portrayed well and with conviction.