A COMEDIC TALE OF GRIEF AND NEW FRIENDSHIP

By Trisha Cusack ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Five perimenopausal women, who don’t really know each other, much less like each other, lost in a woods while on a camping trip to honour their recently deceased friend – what could possibly go wrong? Apparently quite a bit in Sarah Rickman’s new play Kindling. A heartwarming comedy, the 2 hour show tells a tale of friendship, grief, and surviving the outdoors with only white wine to hand.

The play opens with Mei, who has passed away from cancer, sending her five friends off on an adventure to scatter her ashes. Immediately, the dynamics and hierarchy of Mei’s friends is established. Jules (Stacy Abalogun) is the opinionated childhood best friend who has a tense relationship with grumpy Sue (Ciara Pouncett), Mei’s university friend. Cathy (Scarlett Alice Johnson) is the work friend who is a little bit ‘woo woo’. Jasmin (Rendah Beshoori) is the posh, school mum friend. Rounding out this gal pack is Mei’s sister-in-law, the clumsy Rose (Sarah Rickman). This all-female cast is very strong, with each character contributing to both the emotional and plot-driven narratives of the play.

Over the course of the night, we learn more about the women, both as individuals and their relationships with Mei and each other. Through well crafted dialogue, we uncover the group’s lore such as the funny stories they’ve heard about one another over the years and the origins of different, and rather mean, nicknames Mei had created for them.

The show touches on many topics that female friend group would discuss over a glass of wine – HRT, parenthood, their husbands, and sillier more superficial things. The infusion of comedy into the conversations made it feel rather natural, without being too on the nose. While nothing is covered too in depth, it didn’t feel like it lacked substance. Rather, it was the appropriate level of detail for a group of women who don’t know each other intimately.

The play also incorporates a decent amount of physical comedy, supported by a well-design stage set, which enhances the funnier plotlines. As the women get progressively drunker throughout the night, their sloppy movements elicited many laughs from the audience. They go from dancing to Whigfield’s ‘Saturday Night’ to clamouring about in the dark looking for torch batteries in a way that feels like your watching a classic female buddy comedy. The humour throughout gives it that lightness that makes it a very enjoyable viewing experience.

The exploration of grief is well delivered Rickman’s writing. The rollercoaster of emotions each woman felt towards their deceased friend is reflected in the angry outbursts, the confrontations between the women, and the outpouring of fresh grief. It doesn’t labour the point too much, just enough to see how the women, in particular Jules and Sue, are coping.

Kindling is an overall cohesively executed play. It may not go into any one topic too deeply, but in truth it really doesn’t need to. Sometimes you just need a good laugh with new friends.

Kindling is currently running at Park Theatre until Saturday 15 November.

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Photo Credit: Holly Darville