Credit: Johan Persson
LOVESONG
Sherman Cymru, Cardiff,
Wed 15 Feb,
words: MAB JONES
★★★★☆
Leaves litter the stage. An old man shuffles about as if searching for something – eyes wide, mouth agape. He sweeps the air with his eyes; as we take our seats, and the lights dim, his gaze comes to rest upon us…
From the outset, then, this is a play that intends to engage our emotions. The leaves, we learn, have fallen from the peach tree in the garden where the drama is set; at various points within the play, the characters find this fallen fruit, and bite into it. This is only one of several metaphors intimating the fact that life’s pleasures are as flavoursome as they are fleeting. Flocks of starlings are seen (migrating?) overhead; there is talk of cave paintings and their long-dead creators. There is even a skull, given as a gift from Margaret to William while they are still young; this then is re-found by Maggie and Billy when, after 40 years of marriage (and its end in sight), they begin clearing out the attic.
So, we are given plenty of scope for musing on life’s mutability; and, of course, the visible contrast between the young, lithe, smiling couple and older, frailer, worried couple is perhaps the most palapable of these. We see Maggie in her glory days, dancing nimbly with her partner; then, the scene turns and she is at the kitchen table, unable to sleep, pain etched into her features. This interweaving of past and present, with Margaret/Maggie and William/Billy moving through the same space, across each others’ paths, and even then dancing with their younger/older partners, is exremely well done. “What if there’s a dimension where events occur in sequence?” muses William, or indeed playwright Abi Morgan, for that is what she has created for us here.
As an emotive piece, then, this is a success. It is beautifully written, acted, and staged. There are some very deft and unexpected exits/entrances, and some lovely synchronicities between the older and younger couples. A cool critic like me might see the emotional manouvering but, who cares? It still works, and is still very much worth seeing.
Tickets: £15-£25. Info: 029 2064 6900 / www.shermancymru.co.uk
I found it a very disappointing piece. I thought the writing was pretty cliched and found the whole thing rather formulaic. Very middle of the road.
This was theatre at its best; every aspect was well thought through and executed: lighting, film pieces in the background, music, set and acting and all thanks to a beautifully crafted script. You could hear the rustle of tissues throughout as people at various times were caught in the throat with emotion. I can't understand the comment about the writing being cliched and the play being formulaic, I thought Abi Morgan intelligently dabbed humour and deep feelings of loss to be througout what was a difficult topic that sadly has happened and will to many of us.