The Memory of Water - Sewell Barn Theatre (11.07.2024)

The Memory of Water is a superb example of writing which is both devastatingly funny, and, well, devastating. In the wrong hands, it can become either a tear-jerking slog or a seemingly insensitive dark comedy, but in this production of Shelagh Stephenson’s Olivier Award-winning play, the creative team has struck the balance between humour and anguish perfectly.

Now, I should probably declare my bias from the start. I’ve worked with, and admired, five of the cast members, and but for the stars not quite aligning in my schedule, I would also have been keen to put my hat in the ring to audition for a role in the show. So, what I’m saying is, given the quality of both the material and the actors, I was certain they were on to a winner from the start.

However, it still takes a skilled, perceptive eye to draw the most from this rich material, and indeed from the performers, and thankfully Director Cassie Tillett surpassed my already high expectations with her beautiful, sensitive production.

The premise of the play is remarkably simple: three sisters gather at their recently-deceased mother's house on the eve of her funeral and understandably, memories resurface. However, their recollections differ and, as they are forced to see things from another perspective, they also start to understand the world through their mother's eyes.

Our three main protagonists are played by the strong trio of Ginny Porteous (Teresa, the eldest sister), Jo Parker Sessions (middle-child, Mary), and Katie Smith (Catherine). All are coping with their grief in different ways, but it's Mary who has the most left to process and often finds herself in conversation with her mother's ghost (played with great skill by Laura Green) as Teresa's drunken revelations force her to face up to the haunting consequences of a traumatic moment in her past.

Ginny, Jo, and Katie absolutely light up the stage as the fractious siblings, creating an authentically troubled family dynamic between them. Whether bickering over memories, relationships, and medical practice, or losing themselves to laughter after numerous swigs of whisky and tokes of a joint, the three actors prove themselves a force to be reckoned with, and it's a privilege to watch them in full flow.

In supporting roles are Jamie Willimott as Frank, and John Holden as Mike. Jamie puts in a creditably warm and enjoyable performance as Frank, Teresa's good-natured husband who has found himself flogging health supplements that he doesn't believe in. John Holden as Mike is Mary's already-married partner (it's complicated!) who turns up to show support. Extra credit must go to John for stepping in to play the role at the 11th hour due to cast illness - apart from the book in his hand which he seldom referred to, you wouldn't know he was a last minute replacement such was his grasp of the character.

Set builder Myles Crowder has once again done a brilliant job, not only inventively using the space to recreate a bedroom, complete with in-built wardrobes, but also building an authentic-looking (but hopefully rather more lightweight) coffin too.

Putting aside the acting and technical skill displayed by the team, the play itself is one which compels you to give thought to your own recollections of moments in time, and whether they are as reliable as you might think. Just as the sisters' own memories of events seemingly varied given the passing of time, I couldn't help but dwell on the image of a single touch point on the water, creating ripples, which when viewed as memories, end up diverging greatly when seen from another perspective.

It's a thinker for sure, and I cannot recommend it highly enough - The Memory of Water continues at Sewell Barn Theatre on the 12th and 13th July, and then the following week between 17-20 July (with a matinee on the Saturday). Tickets are available via sewellbarn.org