Moon River
Moon
River, shrewdly written by Seiriol Davies, tells the tale
of Gladys, a newcomer to the Silver Street Centre, a residential home
for the elderly in Chingford. The play reveals her trials and
torments as she attempts to both remember and forget her past and
come to terms with her unsettling and unfamiliar present. Based on
true accounts from Tender Trap Theatre’s time spent researching the
hang-outs and haunts of the over-75s, this play accurately paints the
picture of an environment that is both harrowing and heartwarming.
deftly played by Julia Voce, is the anchoring character, drawing
the audience into her story, the pain she experiences and disguises,
and her awkward relationships with others. She’s instantly loveable
precisely for her cranky sarcasm and often displays a crackling wit
intermingled with some deliciously dry one-liners: “And
I’m telling you Mary, you can’t give someone an ASBO just for
speaking German on a bus.”
Characterisation on Voce’s
part – and by all the actors in fact, given that this mixed age
company are all portraying pensioners – was spot on, although a
little difficult to engage with at first. Perhaps we are more used to
seeing middle-aged mutton masquerading as youthful lamb, for there
is something quite disturbing about seeing 25-year-old, fresh-faced
actors play hunched, gnarled, bed-wetting, raspberry-blowing
pensioners such as Esther (Lizzie Wort).
Moon River
involves elements of flashback, nostalgia, tales of childhood and
war, friendships lost and made, and above all a sense of shared, and
often humourous, camaraderie in age. British culture, it is true,
does not respect the aged, and Moon River
highlights how pitifully shameful this is.
The direction (by
Caroline Horton) is well executed, making clever use of lighting
and sound effects, and incorporates a realistic set; yet all in all
the play lacks cohesion. The overall message – or question – is
unclear, and the ending comes all too abruptly with a peculiar
finality to a story that remained untold. Regardless, Moon
River is worth watching for its energetic, truly committed
troupe of actors, with some excellent writing to boot.
