21/08/23

theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall (Theatre 3), Edinburgh

Bloomin’ Buds is a Bradford-based theatre company, founded by Katie Mahon (who also produces this play), with the aim of offering “drama-based support for working class communities who are struggling to access opportunities and the arts due to facing class inequalities.”

This seems especially important at the moment, as the cost-of-living crisis means that people have even less money than usual to spend on ‘non-essentials’, and arts subjects continue to be squeezed in state schools (though still highly valued in private ones… go figure). But, as Dana Gioia says, “The purpose of arts education is not to produce more artists… It is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society.”

Where is Love‘s protagonist, Shelly (Maeve Brannen), is certainly a complete human being, although she’s not convinced she’ll have a successful and productive life. She’s a fighter; she’s had to be. Abused by her dad and taken into care, Shelly has learned to look after herself. She’s sixteen when she first meets Will and he seems exciting. But several kids and a lot of bruises down the line, Shelly is at breaking point…

This play, written by Jennifer Johnson, is based on a real life story and, if you think you’ve heard it all before, therein lies the tragedy. Shelly’s experiences are anything but unusual: one in three women in the UK experiences domestic violence. Perhaps some elements of the piece could be expanded on – it’s not quite clear, for example, how long a time period is covered, nor how many children Shelly has – but it all adds up to a compelling and surprisingly uplifting tale. The cycle can be broken: Shelly can give her kids the stability she never had and, through her work, help others who’ve been let down by the system.

Brannen performs the monologue with absolute conviction, imbuing Shelly with an impish appeal, and I like the addition of the real Shelly’s recorded voice, her words used to provide extra background information or to move the story along.

Grace Wilkinson’s direction is assured and imaginative: rarely has a washing line been put to such a variety of uses. This one serves not only as a symbol of Shelly’s domestic load, but also as the hanging strap on a bus, a shower screen and lots more. The music (by Claire O’Connor) is noteworthy too, particularly Shelly’s plaintive refrain, “I’ll be your landmark…”

Bloomin’ Buds are doing an important job in opening up access to the arts and ensuring that working class voices are not excluded from the mix. In fact, the theatre company’s own backstory would make an interesting play in itself. Next time, maybe?

3.5 stars

Susan Singfield