Grandma’s Shop at Surgeons’ Hall Review
Grandma’s Shop at the Space at Surgeon’s Hall centres around the Sheffield vintage clothes shop owned by Hilda Flower, commonly known as Aunt Hilda to her customers.
Her granddaughter Julie takes us through her childhood growing up in the shop, and exploring more about who her grandma was through newspaper articles. Whilst also providing a look at British culture in the late twentieth century.
I will say that this show is probably more suited to an older audience, since a lot of the show is about the eighties and nineties; I was a bit confused at some points as I wasn't sure of the references. However, Julie was very good at adding little explanations when needed, especially with Izal toilet paper.
The atmosphere of the piece is very sentimental; you can tell it comes from a place of love and admiration. I enjoyed the “characters” who came into the shop, not just showing the scope and eccentricity of their customers. But also how the shop, and more specifically Hilda, made them feel about themselves, cleverly done with the use of signs around the stage.
Grandma’s Shop feels like a nice cup of tea and a biscuit; the inclusion of the weekly group and those characters provided nice scene breaks but did seem to last a little too long. Nonetheless, the show has a lovely atmosphere to it, but does seem suited a little more to the older generation.
Grandma’s Shop plays at Theatre 3 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall until 19 August.
★★★
Written by Kerry for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
