The Silver Cord – Finborough Theatre, London

Writer: Sidney Howard

Director: Joe Harmston

It is almost 100 years since American writer Sidney Howard’s play The Silver Cord was last seen in London, but its themes remain familiar even when its style feels a little dated. Howard, a Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote the screenplay for the epic Gone with the Wind, but here his attentions are drawn to a much more intimate subject, the struggles of a possessive mother to keep control over her grown children.

It is Boston in 1925, where Mrs Phelps (Sophie Ward), a widow for 24 years, heads a wealthy family. Her younger son, Robert (George Watkins) still lives with her but he is engaged to marry a lower-class local girl, Hester (Jemma Carlton). Her older son, David (Dario Coates) is returning from travelling around Europe, where he has met and married Christina (Alix Dunmore), a highly educated biologist who is set upon building a life in New York in which she will pursue her career goals alongside being a wife and a mother.

Howard sees the huge generational change which brought the rise of now-liberated women in the professions and he taps into the inevitable clashes with their foremothers. Mrs Phelps makes much of her belief that motherhood is a profession in itself and bemoans the sacrifices which she has been forced to make. Her conflict with the confident Christina is given wider significance than being simply a tussle for the affections of David.

Dressed in drab colours, Ward gives early warning that Mrs Phelps is an insufferable woman and Dunmore’s Christina is a formidable opponent. The in-the-round staging suits the drama well and it is enhanced by set designer Alex Marker’s ingenious use of the tiny space; in two scene changes over the play’s three acts, a window transforms into a bed, while glass doors at the entrances let us see the sinister figure of Mrs Phelps hiding as she eavesdrops on private conversations.

Five strongly focused performances do much to smooth over the unevenness of the play and of director Joe Harmston’sproduction. By modern standards, the drama is far too long and several scenes which need trimming are allowed to get bogged down. On the other hand, the key clashes are written sharply and staged beautifully as melodrama that is palatable and wholly enjoyable.

Undoubtedly, The Silver Cord shows its age and creaks quite a lot in places, but this solid revival is very welcome for giving us the chance to appreciate its many qualities.

Runs until 28 September 2024