Post by Katy on Feb 15, 2008 18:58:32 GMT 1
Laura Wade's play opens with a mother and daughter having a picnic in a graveyard. This sets the tone for what is a gently irreverent comedy about death. Myra, who when diagnosed with bone cancer, begins planning her own funeral in enthusiastic detail.
This opening premise is certainly intriguing. What do you do when you know you are going to die? Myra devises a PowerPoint presentation on homemade funerals, complete with tacky sound effects. Her husband and daughters struggle to see the funny side, until Myra forces them to confront their own fears, and get on with their lives and each other. The appearance of a cardboard coffin onstage raises a smile, as does a string of mild observational gags.
The play is at its most touching when it examines the mystical bond between mother and daughter, and Jenna's admission even before her mother is dead, that she is 'Missing you already', and must 'practise' not sharing her troubles with her mother. Husband Alec is reticent, struggling to keep his own fear buried. The striking set mixes middle class living room with tree-lined cemetery, giving a sense of the outside indoors. The raised stage with a cross section of earth cut away is a constant reminder of the impending burial.
I saw this show at Wokingham Theatre (the local theatre where I live). It was directed by Beckie Moir, my drama teacher and it was fantastic. The four-person cast worked magnificently to create at first, a distant family who never really communicate well, and the portrayal of relationships progressing was done well, emotionally at times. The dark comedy was hilarious at times, Myra's funeral slide show being one of the best points, but also very emotional at points, having me and the rest of my drama group in tears.
If anyone ever gets the chance to see this show, I advise you to take it up - be it an amateur or professional production.