Paul T Davies reviews Charley Miles's new play Daughterhood being presented by Paines Plough and Theatre Clwyd at the Roundabout at Summerhall as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Charlotte Bate and Charlotte O'Leary in Daughterhood. Daughterhood
Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
9 August 2019
4 Stars
Presented by Paines Plough and Theatre Clwyd at the Roundabout at Summerhall, Charley Miles's new play has, at it's heart, sisterhood. Reunited under their childhood roof as their father faces the end of his life, the ten year gap between them has defined their lives, experiences and perceptions of each other. Pauline has been her father's carer, and Rachel has been working to "make a difference".
Arguments between sisters are nothing new in drama, Top Girls being a classic example, and here the scripts feels fresh , as if it is uncovering a new topic. Each character is beautifully drawn and the cast excel in the witty, realistic script. Charlotte Bate is powerfully restrained as Pauline, part martyr, but conveying clearly the sacrifices she has made. Charlotte O'Leary is tremendous as Rachel, and, as the play shifts through time, she is convincing at any age she is required to present. In a range of characters, Toyin Omari-Kinch is outstanding, from authority figures to horny drunk teenager, and even their Dad!
The play reveals its secrets and revelations beautifully and Stef O'Driscoll's pacey direction makes this a hugely enjoyable play. Highly recommended!
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Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
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