Hard hitting and immensely emotional, the beautiful performances in
The down to earth nature of this script is what really grips the audience from start to finish.
As the title (presumably a clever twist on ‘ménage a trois’) suggests, the play is composed of three monologues by three different women, all with an immensely different story to tell. Although they come from relatively similar backgrounds, what is most striking is that the three women are all different ages. In a festival full of the work of young artists, this difference really stands out, and connects to people of all ages.
The three narratives seem to hold no relation to one another. The first is I Don’t Care, written by Charlotte O’Leary, depicting a 16-year-old girl, Aamira, who is forced into caring 24/7 for her dementia suffering father. It is excellent at highlighting the failures of the social services and health care system after Aamira’s constant appeals for help to GPs, the hospital and social services either come about as useless or are shot down entirely.
The second, Closure, written by Anna Jordan, winds a sad tale using a one-sided conversation about lost love. With such a heart wrenching performance, we easily see the obsession and adoration that Gemma Harvey pours into the character as she desperately searches for her idealized relationship she can never hope to get.
In the third, we see Meryl Griffiths play Sylvia in And, Breathe, an outstanding and perfectly balanced performance showing an ex performer who is dealing with her battles of old age and loss. Yet, she is desperate to see the positivity in the world, enjoying the garden she has chosen to reside in to pass the rest of her time.
Despite the fact there is only one actor on the stage at each time, the space has been utilised excellently. With only basic props, the women are literally in the spotlight during their performance, their acting and emotions taking the full weight of the play. And none of these women fail to impress, perfectly chosen for their roles. Sometimes funny, but always dark and depressingly honest, we get the full embrace of their emotions as they pour their hearts out to the audience.
The down to earth nature of this script is what really grips the audience from start to finish, engaging with its three individual yet emotional stories. With such exceptional acting, it is impossible to turn your head away and not connect with the challenges that these three women must battle through in their everyday, normal lives.
