REVIEW | Wish You Weren’t Here, Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse
Olivia Pentelow (Mila) and Eleanor Henderson (Lorna) in Wish You Weren’t Here. Photo by Chris SaundersWritten by Kirsty
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Sheffield Theatres has always been the home of new and exciting work - and Wish You Weren’t Here is no exception. Starring Eleanor Henderson as Lorna, and Olivia Pentelow as Mila. The piece written by Kate Redford tells the story of Lorna and her daughter Mila who are trying to have a weekend in Scarborough to celebrate Mila’s GCSE results with unexpected results. Directed by Rob Watts, the two hander runs the gamut of emotions and takes the audience on a rollercoaster that would not be out of place in any fairground.
Henderson and Pentelow (who is making her professional stage debut in this production) work effortlessly together in telling the story of a family struggling to come to terms with bereavement, generational trauma, and the stress that comes from being a daughter and a mother.
The plot will feel relevant to so many people; Mila is struggling to find her place in a world that she doesn’t feel a part of and her fight against body shaming, and societal pressure to fit in will hit a chord with so many people. The scenes where she discovers her friends may not be friends after all, were heartbreaking and you will want to join in to help her rail against the world. She is also mourning the loss of her Nan who was her hero, and she has to learn the hard lesson that the person you think of as your hero, may not be the perfect person you think they were.
Lorna is a woman also struggling to find her place in the world, and she feels she has lived her life backwards. We discover that she was a teenage mother and had to navigate her relationship with her mother and realise that her friends are at a different point in her life. She is trying so desperately to be part of Mila’s life, without success and the struggle to relate to her angry teenager is so real and it hits right in the gut. The final scenes were truly heart wrenching and felt like so many teenage child and parental fights, but gave both performers so much space to bring the powerful writing to life.
The clever use of modern themes such as Gen Z trying to fix the perceived mistakes of the older generations, and a Millennial mother trying to relate to her daughter felt so needed and relevant.
Although the themes are hard hitting, there is a real sense of bathos and comedy with so many hilarious moments, from the “premium” room in the B and B being anything but premium and Lorna’s attempts to connect with Mila through social media trends. Bethany Wells’ design was stark with the set being nothing but a number of platforms used to create the scenes such as the pub, restaurant to the cliffs that overlook Scarborough. The use of two wheeled suitcases which were TARDIS like in their prop storage allowed the actors to work effortlessly in such a stark space.
Wish You Weren’t Here was produced in collaboration with Theatre Centre and feels like an important piece of theatre which deserves a wider audience, and the themes of generational trauma and trying to fit in no matter your age will resonate with everyone in some way. Henderson and Pentelow were perfect for the roles and I would rush to see any future pieces of work from the creative team in the future.
At Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse until 10 Feb
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
