Waving is a new play by Rosalind Philp which looks at family dynamics and the impact that Alzheimer’s can have on them. We meet the mother, known as ‘The Artist’ in the programme but simply Mum on stage alongside her children Lina and Miles who deal with their mother’s illness in their own ways.
The structure of the play is an interesting one, we flick between moments in their lives, from childhood trips to the present day and from gallery exhibitions to both children returning home over previous years. As a result of the structure we gradually learn more about the family, their background and how they arrived in the present situation, dropping crumbs in each scene and crediting the audience with enough intelligence to follow the trail.
The play itself offers no answers and no tidy resolutions which feels appropriate for a story dealing with Alzheimers.. Nor is judgment made and it is left to the audience to make up their own mind. The script is unafraid to deal with the darker moments that Alzheimer’s can deliver, not only the impact on the person living with Alzheimer’s but also on those around them. For all the strength in the writing and performances, I did occasionally find myself wanting the drama to develop further. The fragmented structure gives us tantalising glimpses into this family’s history, but some of these threads feel as if they could have been explored in greater depth. The play is deliberately restrained and refuses to provide easy answers, but by the end I was left wanting a little more to happen dramatically between the characters before we reached the end.
The mother is played by Ava De Winter and she is exceptional in this role, somehow combining both confusion and fragility with a confidence that remains from her former self. It is this latter element of the portrayal that makes the structure interesting and it is never immediately obvious where in the timeline we have landed until the scene really gets into its flow. This makes the scenes in the present day even more heart-breaking as you can see the flashes of wit and charm that remain but also how difficult it has become for those qualities to connect the way they once did.
Writer Philps plays Lina, her child who is slugging it out for her mother’s approval but never quite gaining the attention she craves. Philps plays the part with sensitivity and manages to portray years of hurt and resentment at the same time as caring for her mother with a smile on her face. Equally, Miles, played by Ben Levy is clearly the favourite child despite his clear faults and his affable charm makes it easy to understand his popularity. Philp and Levy work well as siblings, bouncing off each other with affectionate teasing, care and flashes of frustration.
The set is kept simple, a small table, easel and chairs are all they need to depict this family’s journey but it is a show that doesn’t need any more to serve the story. Instead the characters do the heavy lifting of the story which is perfect for the venue.
Waiving is a thoughtful and sensitively performed exploration of a family learning to navigate Alzheimer’s, with Ava De Winter giving a particularly memorable performance as a woman whose former self remains visible benath the confusion of her illness. The fragmented structure works well in gradually revealing the family’s history and the play trusts its audience to draw its own conclusions. I ws occasionally left wanting more dramatic developments between the characters but there is much to admire in a piece that refuses easy answers while still finding plenty of humanity in the messiness of family life.
Waving is on at The Space at Surgeons Hall until 15th August at 19:45- 20:35. You can book tickets here.
If you like this review you might also like my review of Bog Witch, Cvntclave and Meet Mayor Max.