12/08/26

Greenside (Olive Studio), George Street, Edinburgh

We arrive at Greenside’s George Street venue a little early, so I can’t resist FaceTiming my mum to get her reaction to the poster of the show we’re about to see. Consequently, I take my seat with her laughter still sounding in my ears, a salient reminder of how lucky I am that my relationship with my mum is so straightforward. We have a lot in common; we enjoy each other’s company; I love her – and she loves me.

Deborah Unger, on the other hand, has a lot more to work through. In this autobiographical piece, she shares her lifelong battle to understand her mother, to come to terms with the complex dynamics of their bond. Because resolution matters – even if her mom’s already dead.

Unger switches between the roles of mother and daughter with practised ease, simply raising her glasses when she’s being herself, and peering through them when she’s being her mom. Sitting on a black box, legs dangling, she takes us back in time to when she’s five years old. Mom is clearly a difficult woman – moody and hard to predict, veering from hot to cold. But young Deborah admires her: she’s uncompromising, secretive, bold and brave, steering her family across continents for her husband’s military career.

There are a lot of threads to this story, and some of them are left dangling, which I find a little frustrating. Nonetheless, TLMMIDTMILH is an interesting exploration of the ties that bind, and there’s something very heartwarming about Unger’s realisation that she is, in fact, very similar to her mom.

3 stars

Susan Singfield