The Memory of Water sees three sisters reunited by the death of their mother on the eve of her funeral. Over the course of the evening we learn about their relationships with each other, their mother and how their shared childhood shaped them each differently. The play, showing at The Little Theatre in Leicester this week, at its heart is an exploration of memory. The sisters share differing recollections of the same events from their upbringing; truth is a hard thing to discern when time and emotions have coloured and warped the memories.
Their mother, Vi (Karen Gordon), suffered from Alzheimer’s in the later stages of her life. Her fragmented memory and how this impacted her sense of self is sensitively tackled in the play.
The memory theme is well captured in Stef Nicolls’ set design. The deep set is multi-leveled and haphazardly filled with cabinets and drawers, representing the mindspace of the play as much as it does Vi’s bedroom. The heavy woods bring a sense of timelessness to the set which is as visually striking as it is poignant. The set feels as if it is held together by memory itself and could break apart at any moment.
Most of the story is carried by the three sisters. Each of them are performed with clear and distinct personalities. Teresa (Laura Brookes) is the eldest sister and runs a health supplement shop with her husband Frank (Joff Brown). The most neurotic of the three sisters, Teresa busies herself with ensuring the funeral arrangements are all ticked off.
The middle child is Mary (Kat Seddon), a doctor who is in a five-year affair with married doctor Mike (Jordan Handford). Their relationship is strained by Mike’s refusal to split up with his wife who is ill and also by differing desires for children.
Catherine (Nikki Favell) is the youngest sister, and is determined that her childhood was defined by abandonment and being ignored – a view disputed by her sisters. She is the only one of the sisters without a long-term partner, a fact of which she is painfully aware.
Brookes, Seddon and Favell all excel in their roles, bringing the right level of energy for their respective characters. Brookes appears on the brink of a nervous breakdown, whilst Seddon spends a lot of the play hungover and Favell bounces round the stage with youngest sibling energy. Although most of the play features the three bickering, there is a clear underlying love between the sisters. This comes to the fore in a brilliant scene where they try on Vi’s old dresses (kudos to John Bale’s costume design).
Gordon strikes an imposing figure as Vi, existing as a memory or dream for Seddon. Alex Exton’s lighting design adds to the atmospheres.
Although dialogue progresses with pace and is well delivered by the cast, the play’s two hour runtime (excluding the 20 minute interval) feels about 20–30 minutes too long. The script’s (written by Shelagh Stephenson) three scenes could have each benefited from an editor’s trim to produce a punchier overall show. The plot is straightforward and the characters are developed quickly, meaning the play wouldn’t lose anything if it were shorter. That said, Leigh White’s direction of the script as it is written is strong. Nicolls’ set is used to maximum effect, with characters moving up and down the stage throughout bringing a wonderful dynamism to the show.
The Memory of Water is funny whilst staying emotionally hard-hitting. It is a wonderful exploration of memory and family that is well worth a watch.
Photos credit Jonathan Pryke
