I never found myself disliking Eleanor for a moment. Lynne also flexed her acting muscles, constantly drinking and being a very convincing functioning alcoholic. Possibly my favourite moment was Eleanor’s line about Suzanne marrying an accountant when it’s revealed her daughter is in debt. Next to enter the action, is Laurie played by Nico Gatulescu, Suzanne’s daughter and Eleanor’s granddaughter. This is the first time I’ve seen Nico on stage and she was a bit of a revelation. Her performance brought a youthful energy. She portrayed her comfort with modern societal attitudes through her confident performance. Despite her somewhat ‘confusing’ opinions, her love for both her mother and her grandmother is palpable throughout. Nico’s facial expressions were a delight, as was her body language. She even peppered her performance with a bit of physical comedy, which was a joy to watch. Her conversations about gender, and her outlook on this, were excellent as was the other two performers’ reactions. Eleanor was totally bewildered and Suzanne, in contrast, was perfectly comfortable with her daughter’s confident attitude towards gender identity, dating and sex. As the play progresses and as the true extent of Suzanne’s childhood is revealed, we learn that Suzanne and Eleanor’s relationship goes far deeper than catty remarks. We also learnt that Laurie’s father has been absent. Steve Grist’s subtle direction shone, letting the dialogue do the work; no moving about when it wasn’t necessary, just allowing the three performers the space to act. A perfect example of this was in the second half when Suzanne was sitting on a sofa with Laurie on the floor with her head resting on her mother’s leg. Claire was beautiful in a monologue about giving birth to Laurie, and heart breaking when finally crumbling when she finds out Laurie has been in touch with her Dad. Suzanne’s relaxed attitude to her daughter briefly
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODU3MzQ=