Jonathan Harvey has extraordinary skill in writing sensitive, witty dialogue. Our Lady of Blundellsands is an outstanding example of his ability to create utterly believable characters in equally believable, surreal scenarios.
Sylvie and Garnet are aging sisters sharing a house together. They overlook the beach at Blundellsands, where Anthony Gormley’s Iron statues appear to tread out into the surf like some eerie multiple suicide.
Sylvie’s mind is gradually ebbing away in waves like the tide, and Garnet struggles to keep her buoyant whilst enduring her acid tongue. It’s Garnet’s 65th Birthday, and she has invited Sylvie’s sons and their partners for a party. The air is heavy with family secrets old and new, and the party is destined to turn sour as the truths are told.
The central pairing of Josie Lawrence and Annette Badland as Sylvie and Garnet are a joy to watch. Their verbal sparring is classic Harvey, laden with sharp one-liners, and there’s more than a hint of Blanche DuBois and Baby Jane Hudson in Sylvie’s disintegration.
Sylvie dreams of one day seeing her likeness in a stained glass window, promised to her long ago by an artist friend. As the play reaches its magical, heartbreaking conclusion, Garnet’s supposed discovery of this ‘Our Lady of Blundellsands’ in a nearby church offers the solution to her worries about Sylvie’s future.
Nick Bagnall directs a tightly knit ensemble, finely balancing laughter and tears in a play that holds up a mirror to show us reflections we can all recognise.
5 Stars – Sadness and acid wit are perfectly judged in Jonathan Harvey’s dark new comedy
Josie Lawrence, Annette Badland and Gemma Broderick - Photo ©Marc Brenner 
Josie Lawrence and Annette Badland - Photo ©Marc Brenner 
The cast of Our Lady of Blundellsands - Photo ©Marc Brenner
This review was originally written for and published by The Stage, and is posted here retrospectively (after the contractual exclusivity period and backdated) in its original unedited form.
Comments
Post a Comment