Review: The Memory of Water, at the Byre Theatre
By Alanya Noquet
The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson was beautifully set up by the St.Andrews Play Club. The design: a somewhat dated bedroom belonging to the deceased character Vi, subtly reflected the intrinsic theme of the play; memory. The faded walls and the spindling cracks suggested the frailty of memory which was exemplified as the sisters argued over the actuality of their childhood memories. Vi’s decline through Alzheimer’s disease was also conveyed in the uncanny state of the room.
When it came to acting though, the play club were far from up to scratch, the three sisters Catherine, Theresa and Mary were horribly miscast, in terms of looks, accent and age, making the actors attempts at conveying a familial bond seem utterly unconvincing. In addition to this, the cast was largely undirected, with a basic understanding of projection, articulation and movement being absent from the ensemble’s performance as a whole.
Whilst the first act dragged, as the actors repeatedly missed the many opportunities in the first act to make the audience roar, by the time we reached the somewhat serious second act, the Play Club had lost our attention entirely. A wasted script.
When it came to acting though, the play club were far from up to scratch, the three sisters Catherine, Theresa and Mary were horribly miscast, in terms of looks, accent and age, making the actors attempts at conveying a familial bond seem utterly unconvincing. In addition to this, the cast was largely undirected, with a basic understanding of projection, articulation and movement being absent from the ensemble’s performance as a whole.
Whilst the first act dragged, as the actors repeatedly missed the many opportunities in the first act to make the audience roar, by the time we reached the somewhat serious second act, the Play Club had lost our attention entirely. A wasted script.