The Memory Of Water

By Shelagh Stephenson

Been to a family funeral recently? Very much like a wedding, christening or reading of a will, a family gathers for a common cause, maybe the first time they have seen each other for a while.

Tensions, undercurrents, bubbling for a while, may unexpectedly rise to the surface. Shelagh Stephenson’s emotional play sees three sisters gather for their mother Vi’s funeral. Vi even appears herself for a while.

There is wild humour and bruising emotion, as three girls from the same family meet and reveal conflicts of the past, with their grip on the present.

One is a GP with a secret from her teens, now having an affair with a married man. The oldest sister and her business partner husband met deceiving each other via a dating website and the youngest craves affection through a dysfunctional mix of drink, drugs and outrageous remarks.

They all look back over their childhood. Memories can fade or become distorted, but they linger on, affecting how we feel about people, places and events.

And was Vi a ghost, or just a dream?

Directed by Tony Pegg.