DramaLondonReview

Agatha – Pleasance Theatre, London

Reviewer: Scott Matthewman

Writer: Gemma Barnett

Director: Martha Geelan

The strained relationship between three generations of women is examined as the youngest, Jo, sits in her mum’s car, preparing herself to enter the clinic where she is due to have an abortion.

Writer Gemma Barnett, also playing Jo, has constructed a surreal tale where her character’s recently deceased grandmother (the titular Agatha, played by Olivia Carruthers) is enjoying a new era as a stand-up queen, as an emcee in a heavenly blues bar.

As Jo contemplates the brief reunion with her ex that resulted in her pregnancy, Agatha gets her granddaughter to role-play a similar situation from her own life, when she couldn’t feel she could have the baby who grew up to be Jo’s mother, Rose (Susanna Hamilton).

Barnett’s multi-layered storytelling style and Martha Geelan’s direction combine to create a sense of theatricality that keeps the tone generally light and entertaining, even as the subject matter explores some dark crevices of the societal approach to abortion and motherhood across the generations.

As Jo and Rose, now both brought into the role-playing scenarios, continue their exploration of Agatha’s life against the matriarch’s wishes, the triggers for the dysfunction that has marred the generational relationships between the three women come into focus in ways that ensure none of the three troubled women is apportioned blame, but each begins to find a way to heal.

Agatha combines comedy, deep-felt tragedy and gripping family drama in a manner that enthrals from the outset, and does not let go for the duration of its allotted hour. Originally slated for the VAULTS Festival, it was one of many shows put at risk when the 2022 Festival was cancelled. It is a relief that this vital, important, compelling work has found a new home, and one feels sure it will somehow return beyond this all-too-short week-long run.

Continues until 5 March 2022

The Reviews Hub Score

Compelling generational tragicomedy

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The Reviews Hub - London

The Reviews Hub London is under the editorship of Richard Maguire. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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