This play – and this production of it – pulls of the rare feat of being deeply moving and riotously funny; a dark comedy that touches raw nerves and funny bones in near equal measure.
A lot of the credit for that goes to Shelagh Stephenson’s script, with its sharp observation, characterisation, and deft phrasing, but director Cassie Tillett has also elicited stunning performances from her talented cast.
Jo Parker Sessions, Ginny Porteous, and Katie Smith play three sisters brought back together in the family home as they prepare for their mother’s funeral. As they reminisce – and recriminate – their relationships with each other and their partners are exposed and tested.
Parker Sessions has the most stage time, including ghostly visitations from the late mother (played with gritted-teeth grace by Laura Green; reserved but embittered), and the most revelations. Her scene with Porteous where the play’s cruellest twist is delivered is a masterclass: both are indivisible from their characters, and we see their faces crack with their hearts.
Smith’s character is perhaps the less well-drawn – the wild child, perhaps accidental (“she thought I was the menopause”) younger sister, chronically unlucky in love. Her portrayal nonetheless comes with the same level of commitment as her stage sisters.
John Holden does a tremendous job as a late stand-in as Parker Sessions’ married lover; understandably still with book in hand after being drafted in just days before curtain up but seldom referring to it.
Jamie Willimott lives up to Porteous’ description of her weary husband – “your silences are the most eloquent thing about you” – with a gentle but strong appearance. For a relatively small part, we get a strong impression of who his character is.
The play’s text is rich in topics, exploring the differences in memories between parents and children, the experiences and envy of different generations, the cruel demise of dementia, and more besides. All are treated with a surety that makes the jokes that surround such serious subjects feel as natural as any family conversation: because we’re all on the inside, we can be brutal without breaking. At least most of the time.
This is a tremendous send off for the Sewell Barn’s 2023/4 season, and a reminder not take our memories, and each other, for granted.
- The Memory of Water continues at Sewell Barn Theatre until 20 July 2024.
