š Mid Life
š The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR
š Thursday 27th February 2025
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A SHOW OF TWO HALVES
MID LIFE from Diverse City is currently playing in The Drum at Theatre Royal Plymouth where I was invited along last night to watch the performance. I left with really conflicted feelings about this piece. Some elements were really interesting and well executed, whilst other parts frustrated me. I will try to explain my feelings below.
Firstly I thought that the diversity and inclusion of the show was to be applauded. The BSL interpreters were a part of the performance, and not just stood at the side of the stage throughout. As the action moved so did they, meaning that the entire performance was accessable to audience members who relied on them. The show was also captioned, as it each performance during the run. Inclusion like this means that people with additional needs such as these are not limited to only being able to book one date during a shows run.
I also thought the imagry portrayed on the screen behind the action was powerful and creative, really helping to emphasise the stories and bring the emotion of them to the forefront.
MID LIFE is an honest look at women's relationships with the menopause, their friends, mothers and more. I liked how all the subjects covered were real representations of the cast members lives, whch helped to bring a personal element to the show.
The issue with this however is that there were times when it felt like stories had been shoehorned into the show which didn't necessarily fit in the moment which made the piece start to feel disjointed. Also I felt the storytelling itself could do with a bit of refinement and tightening. There were times when it was as if the show lost its way a little and I became disconnected from what was happening.
I constantly felt like I wanted something more. If you're going to be angry then BE angry. If you're going to shout then SHOUT. Everything started to feel very surface level and seeing as these were deeply personal stories I was surprised that at times it felt as if the words were just being recited rather than lived.
Unfortunately I felt like there needed to be more attention to detail on the creative side, such as the writing and direction. At some points it felt as if the company were expecting a laugh that never came, or just created a ripple of a titter. I accept that I am perhaps not the target audience so couldn't connect on a personal level with the piece, but for me the storytelling is the most important part of any theatre show and currently this production struggles on this front.
The potential is there however and I am not completely writing this show off. When it's good it is very good but the central narrative somehow gets lost somewhere in the middle, finding itself again just in time to regain the audience.
The cast members were good and did engage the audience well so if the other elements of the production were able to shift up a gear then this show could be a hit.
There's an old saying that goes "It's not how you start, it's how you finish" and MID LIFE finishes with a bang, getting the audience to join the cast on stage for a party and a dance guarenteed people left on a high.
MID LIFE continues performances in Plymouth until Saturday 1st March. Availiability is limited to click here to secure your tickets before it's too late.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.
My ticket for this performance of Mid Life was gifted by Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
CAST LIST:
Claire Hodgson as Claire; Jacqui Beckford as Jacqui; Karen Spicer as Karen; Judith Jacob as Empress JJ; Ali Gordon as BSL Interpreter
RUNNING TIME (approx):
1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval
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