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NIGHT, MOTHER
Impact Theatre
The Village Hall
West Moors
and various venues in East Dorset
March 2003

IN this harrowing two-hander, written by Marsha Norman, the scene appears to be a normal, cosy evening in an ordinary house somewhere in mid-America. A clock ticks reassuringly in the background as a mother, Thelma, happily chews cakes and sweets as she waits for Jessie, her daughter, to give her a manicure.
But then Jessie makes the shattering announcement that she intends to kill herself that night. For the next ninety minutes, as they talk, all the feelings of guilt, hurt, misunderstanding and love that have accumulated over the years come rushing to the surface as the clock ticks inexorably towards that fatal moment.
Yet, despite the disturbing subject matter, this production, powerfully directed by Dan Brian, was one I would not have missed for anything.
Patricia Richardson (Thelma) and Tanya Alexander (Jessie) were superb, playing their parts with a gritty realism. Both are skilled in the art of using facial expression and body language to convey emotion, and the audience was easily drawn into the lives of this selfish, none-too-bright mother and her shy loser of a daughter whose death is the only thing she can control.
An outstanding production.

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.


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