Good Grief - Review

***

Nikesh Patel and Sian Clifford

Written by Lorien Haynes

Directed by Natalie Abrahami

Lorien Haynes’ two-hander, originally written for the stage, has been given a filmic treatment as a consequence of the pandemic and will shortly be released now as globally available stream.

Spanning the few months immediately following the death from cancer of Liv, Good Grief is about the dynamic that evolves between Liv’s partner Adam and their mutual good friend Cat. There are moments in Haynes’ narrative that show a powerful perception and an empathy towards the bereaved that will resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one. But there are also times when her dialog is unbearably trite and simplistic, stretching credibility to a point where the viewers’ suspended disbelief comes crashing down. And this is even before the distracting speculation of wondering whether Cat and Adam will jump into bed together.

Sian Clifford and Nikesh Patel play the grieving pair with Clifford putting in a well nuanced turn. Patel however struggles to convince. The play’s closing scene of his reading aloud a letter from Liv, penned shortly before her death, should be poignant – but it just doesn’t work. Perhaps live on stage, with the compelling intimacy of a theatre, the script may have delivered more of a punch than Natalie Abrahami has coaxed for her camera.

Credit though to the production’s assembled creatives and technicians. The 45-minute long piece has been smartly put together and with a charming score from Isobel Waller-Bridge too. Not only that, but when you stream Good Grief, a very kind and generous gesture from the producers will see a donation from every ticket sold going to the NHS and Macmillan Cancer Care.

Streaming from 15th February until 15th April

Tickets are available through:

https://originaltheatreonline.com/productions/13/good-grief

Queen Anne - Review

Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon


****


Written by Helen Edmundson
Directed by Natalie Abrahami

Natascha McElhone and Emma Cunniffe

Commissioned by the RSC, Queen Anne is a new play by Helen Edmundson, directed by Natalie Abrahami in her debut season at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Little is known about Anne's 12 year reign and Edmundson creates an intricate, intriguing and intelligent portrait of the Queen. She also captures a poignant observation upon the friendship between Anne and   Sarah Churchill, later Duchess of Marlborough.

What emerges is a neatly written play that moves the audience from deep laughter to overwhelmed silence in the same scene. With its satirical ballads, its perfectly directed staging and, most of all, a witty and sharp text, Queen Anne shows a not-so-common ability to depict a credible and colourful image of the politics and human condition of the time.

Intriguingly, Edmundson also creates two of the fiercest female roles to have been seen on stage in some time. Her look at the development of Emma Cunniffe’s Anne and Natascha McElhone’s Sarah and of their friendship (and eventually of its end) is a moving and mesmerizing experience encompassing love, betrayal and sacrifice.

Cunniffe embodies suffering, both physical and emotional as her Anne is divided between her duties as Queen and her heart and feelings as friend, whilst McElhone's Sarah offers a bewitching crescendo of emotions.  

Jonathan Broadbent delivers a scheming Robert Harley, representing the emergent political world and providing a link between the Anne's court and the outside world of the Inns of Court, Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift. 

The production's flamboyance – especially in the choral and satirical scenes – owes much to the creative vision of Movement Director Ann Yee.

Helen Edmundson has delivered a fascinating and gripping historical comment. Queen Anne proves to be a story that has needed to have been told and which demands to be seen.

Runs until 23rd January 2016

Guest reviewer: Simona Negretto

Photo Credits: Manuel Harlan