Theatre / Reviews
Review: My Mother’s Funeral: The Show, Bristol Old Vic
My Mother’s Funeral: The Show begins with Abigail (Nicole Sawyer) tentatively approaching the microphone on a centrally raised dais. She is about to speak but is taken aback by us, the audience, staring at her before shrinking back into herself. Dare she tell her story?
From that moment on, Abigail and each one of the other characters get hold of writer Kelly Jones’ clever play about individual value and run with it for all they are worth.
Abigail has just lost her mum but can’t afford the funeral. She is a theatremaker living on the edge of benefits, but when the local theatre pulls out of her latest project, based around gay termites in space (don’t ask!) she needs to show her mum the respect she thinks she is owed. A basic funeral costs upwards of £4k and she hasn’t got the money. Neither does her brother. If she cannot claim the body and stump up the cash, the council will bury her beloved mum in an unmarked grave shared with others.
is needed now More than ever
Nicole Sawyer as Abigail in My Mother’s Funeral: The Show
Abigail decides to follow the theatre director’s advice: ‘write what she knows’ and produce something raw and edgy. Only her narrative gets taken hostage by those who think they understand her better than she does.
Writing about class has been a common trope ever since the angry young man plays of the 1950s, but it so rarely sounds authentic. Council house, broken marriages, drunken parent, violence and angry expletive-ridden tirades are stock in trade motifs for the (mainly middle class) media. But here, they are shown to be false witnesses.
Samuel Armfield as Abigail’s brother
While writing about her mum, we see the real woman played sympathetically and with genuine relatable charm by Debra Baker. She supports her daughter throughout her early artistic choices and is always there for her. Always.
However, Abigail is running out of time. She must come up with the money denied by various banks or money lenders to fulfil her mother’s wish of being buried in some style. And the theatre won’t pay the full commission fee until they finally decide to put the play on.
Samuel Armfield (l) and Nicole Sawyer (r) as Abigail and her brother
As Abigail writes the fictional story, featuring her character as badass Stacey, she comes into conflict with reality. Her brother, skilfully depicted by Samuel Armfield, fails to understand the point of paying for an expensive funeral for a mother who he believes didn’t approve of him. And he is dismissive of his sister’s artsy fartsy lifestyle. There is a wonderfully powerful and sincere scene when they have a stand-up argument. Each one of the actors’ characterisations rings true with Nicole Sawyer’s Abigail demonstrating a heart wrenching gangly, awkward powerlessness.
It may sound like a difficult play to watch, but there are laughs aplenty and one of the strengths of the piece is that whenever the jokes are set up, they hit home.
Samuel Armfield as Abigail’s brother
Samuel Armfield also plays the director while Debra Baker takes up several roles, including a version of Abigail’s mother that plays to all the crude stereotypes Abigail wants to avoid. Between the two of them they conjure up a falsely tacky image of working-class life, complete with bleached pigeons ready to be released in the fictional funeral.
Director Charlotte Bennet and writer Jones handle the various themes with great tact and the 70 minutes are perfectly structured. Even the ending is appropriately managed, putting dignity and love within grief in their rightful place. My Mother’s Funeral: The Show comes direct from the Edinburgh Fringe, and I would strongly recommend that you catch it while you can.
My Mother’s Funeral: The Show is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic on September 24-28 at 8pm, with an additional 3pm matinee show on Saturday. Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.
All photos: Mihaela Bodlovic
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
