My Mothers Funeral: The Show, Roundabout Summerhall Review
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.
Abigail is a writer and she is struggling to get her new work (about gay bugs in space) commissioned. And, her mum has just died.
In a meeting with the theatre producer who might want to stage her work, Abigail is told that audiences want misery, hardship, working class struggles (basically poverty porn). “Write about what do you know” he tells her. So, with a limited amount of time to raise the £4000 needed to pay for her mum to have a proper funeral (profiting from death is examined early on), that is what Abigail sets out to do, and she writes about her mum’s death without letting on that she’s telling her own story, coming under increasing pressure from those around her to paint a very different picture of mum to the one that is in her memory - in other words, one that will put bums on seats.
A talented cast of three actors bring to life the characters involved in Abigail’s story. Nicole Sawyer plays Abigail, moving from grief to exasperation in an increasingly frantic performance as her money worries intensify and the people around her do not understand that she is grieving. She is a fantastic, expressive performer.
Equally impressive are Samuel Armfield and Debra Baker who take on the other roles. Armfield moves with ease from the shallow and cynical theatre producer who is prepared to sensationalise grief in order to monetise it, to Abigail’s angry brother who is dealing with his own difficult relationship with mum - his physicality and delivery adapting instantly to two contrasting characters.
Debra Baker stands out, taking on many versions of Abigail’s mother, not only seen in Abigail’s memory/imagination but also through the eyes of the rather affected actress who is to play her in the play within the play - also excelling in that portrayal of mum as a drunk and neglectful stereotype.
The play is very well paced and makes great use of the space, with the actors performing in the round. It jumps between Abigail’s various drafts of her play and her reality, the creative version of events somehow heightening the tragedy of her real life loss.
The play covers themes of grief and loss and makes you question whether personal tragedy can really make good theatre. Ultimately its message is positive, grief is personal and not something for performance or to meet others’ expectations. In between the genuinely heartbreaking moments, we are also able to laugh out loud at this very thought provoking and satisfying hour of theatre.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
