Reviews / Review: ‘A poignant play brought to life by talented young actresses’
RED SHOES Theatre is the newest addition to Shetland drama and their Facebook page tells us: “Red Shoes Theatre is a bold new independent amateur theatre troupe bringing thought provoking boundary-pushing drama to Shetland.”
Well they certainly did that at the Carnegie Hall, Sandwick on Sunday 22 February.
Not content with staging a complex and thought provoking play at Mareel the previous week the group then did the same at Brae and Sandwick. I have experienced first hand the logistical challenges of performing in various halls, including transportation of props, sound systems, lighting and the fact that if it can go wrong, it will!
Technician Alfie Boyes and his backstage crew took this all in their stride and produced a set that was both functional and eye-catching.
Reading the programme I wondered how this set could become a “Large House in Cheadle Hulme” then a “Council Flat in the Hulme Estate” followed by a “Suburban semi” and end up as an “End terrace house Oldham” and span the period from 1940-1987. This was done by the inventive use of all the props and the skill of the director and cast.
The seating for the audience was unusual in that the audience surrounded the set to maximise the use of the Carnegie Hall and strategically placed flats gave the actors the ability to enter and exit while the actual stage was used as seating for some of the audience.
The play was billed by the London Sunday Times as a “warm poignant elegy about growing up and growing wise (or not). It’s about debts and responsibilities; the burden of puritan inheritance; and how it takes generations to learn about the value of real feeling”.
What this diverse and challenging play did was showcase the talents of the four actors who managed to move seamlessly between the generations they portrayed with minimal costume changes, changes in body language and sheer artistic talent.
One minute we were watching silly giggly girls who then developed into an unmarried mother (Isobel Pagulayan) who made the heart rending decision to hand over her three month old daughter to her own mother (Lauryn Reid) to bring up to give that child the best chance in life.
Despite the mother’s initial disapproval and coldness we saw how her life was transformed by having the baby to love and cherish. Both actors transported us back to another time where women had few choices in life but protected each other and the family.
Grandmother (Martha Robertson) portrayed beautifully how the relationship with mother and daughter (Lauryn Reid) can be tricky and confrontational while showing a softer, more open minded attitude to her granddaughter (Isobel Pagulayan).
Rosie (Nayana Stephen) was allowed throughout the play to retain her childish exuberance until the end when she realised the extent of the deception her family had gone to in an effort to protect her from the unmarried status of her real mother.
Throughout the play we were made aware of the pressures to conform on the women we watched develop before our eyes and how they suppressed their real emotions to reflect the times they lived in.
Only when talking to her great grandchild could Doris confide her real feelings about her husband (something she could not have done with her own daughter).
A poignant play brought to life by the extremely talented young four actresses and the vision and stage experience of director Stephenie Georgia. I can’t wait to see what Red Shoes will bring us next.
By Lesley Leslie
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