Parentified at The Speakeasy (Royal Scots Club) Review

Parentified is a one-woman play based on the true story of a young girl who was forced to grow up before she was ready. The term ‘parentified’ has become something of a buzzword which mainly applies to women who had their childhood cut short and were forced to act as mini adults, often in caregiving roles or simply bringing themselves up without the appropriate parental support.

In Sissy’s case, this took the shape of her becoming a mother figure to the younger sister she calls Bug. The play is set in a living room and opens with Sissy being woken up by a call from Bug in the middle of the night. This starts everything in motion. 

In the first scene, Sissy is 16 years old, getting her younger sister Bug ready for school. There is nothing out of the ordinary about that; many older brothers and sisters take care of their younger siblings from time to time. However, we soon realise that this is the norm for both Bug and Sissy. Little Bug is only seven years old, and it is clear how much Sissy loves her. She takes pride in making her lunch for school, getting her dressed and driving her to school every morning. Rhona’s performance even this early on begins to tug at the heartstrings, and I feel that we might be in for an emotional ride. 

It is only as Sissy tells us more that we realise this is a deeper story of neglect, in a house filled with pain, with adults who either can’t or won’t be parents to their daughters. Rhona plays the parts of all the characters, including Bug, someone we assume is their mother (a voice from the darkness of an unseen bedroom), and Sissy’s younger self. Sissy’s father’s voice can be heard throughout on voice messages, which is a clever way to include him and give us a sense of who he was as a man. 

I imagine that like me, there were a few members of the audience who could relate to parts of Sissy’s story and found themselves recalling their own childhood memories. Cosette Bolt, who wrote the play, had definitely anticipated this and she handles the audience with care. I am not a fan of the ‘woe is me’ narrative that can sometimes come across with such personal subject matter, so I was pleased to see Sissy’s story told with emotional depth, truth, and without a trace of self pity. 

Rhona’s performance is beyond compelling; she draws you into Sissy’s world and holds you there. Whenever I glanced around to see the reaction of the audience, they were spellbound and could not look away from the stage, from Rhona, who held us captive until the very end. 

This is a play that you come to experience rather than watch. Be prepared to feel all the feels - bring at least one pack of tissues – trust me, you will need them at the end. 

Parentified plays at The Speakeasy (Royal Scots Club) until 16 August.

★★★★

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Written by Sharon at Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.