our mothers' daughters

photo: visionrcl.org.uk

It's very lovely, and very refreshing to watch a play that contains only female characters. A joke about passing the Bechdel test in the second act got its largest laugh from me, but it was long after the end of the play that I realised I had just watched a piece that passed it several times. Excellent.

I'm not usually one for emotionally charged pieces speaking about sisterhood, but I suppose the main thing to say about this piece is that for me, it was all about being more understanding to others and not making rash judgements. My first instinct is always to shut off those who disgree with my way of thinking or beliefs. I closed myself off to Sophie (played by Megan Rose Kennedy), immediately turning on who she thought was a gay woman after finding out she had previously slept with men, and wrote off the high-strung Emma (played by Ellen Pallant) who, despite thinking it was for the best, was tormenting her sister in one of the toughest periods of her life. However, something I was reminded is that everything is not black and white, and the varied arguments explored by all the women in this piece were nuanced and fair.

Being someone who is sure they don't want their own children, and has never wanted children, and has struggled to understand why anyone might, made watching this production an eye opening experience for me. I recognised every character in my own friends, family and coworkers, with this likeness to real life meaning that all the characters meshed together perfectly, balancing each other and showing a whole spectrum of womanhood. I even recognised myself in every character, even the lives I have rejected. Even in Jessica Radcliffe's portrayal of such a wise mother, a mother that should be an inspiration to anyone wanting to have children, I recognised what would hopefully be part of my future self. Interestingly, I have never been more sure of my decision to stay childless while watching Natasha Mula as Kat, describing to Billy, played by Sarah Tara Ray, why she knows that she wants children. Watching the portrayal of an absolute conviction about something can sometimes confirm to you that you don't feel it. All the performers showed such conviction in their character's beliefs that it became clear to me why it is sometimes so hard to find common ground with those who disagree with you.

This was an incredibly refreshing play to have the pleasure of watching. It is a credit to the entire company that every character was so real and full, and that while dealing with some incredibly heavy topics, at no point did I feel weighed down by them. It was if nothing else, uplifting, and I hope Sarah Tara Ray is proud that I left the Redbridge Drama Centre wanting to be more like Billy by the end of the play; honest, vulnerable and supportive.