The Memory of Water, A review

Last week saw the return of Shelagh Stephenson’s The Memory of Water at Everyman Playhouse. An outrageously funny show with many morbid twisted jokes, centring around three sisters as they try and process their grief on the eve of their mother’s funeral. Originally written in 1996, now 30 years on, its jokes are just as relevant and funny. Whilst some topical references did go over my head, the general premise of finding the right way to grieve made for a still relatable and hilarious play.  

Despite the consistent cracking of jokes and dark humour, the play still left room for the heavier moments of the show to breathe. Namely the moments of seriousness when the ghost of the mother describes her own slow descent into memory loss. It portrayed the realities of the disease on both the family and the mother, focusing on what it is like to feel oneself fading away as the pronoun “I” begins to lose its meaning. This moment of poignancy exploring the heartbreaking reality of dementia and losing one’s memory was balanced out with the humour of the play. 

The play was one full of many props but the bottle of whiskey took centre stage getting gradually more and more empty as the play went on and each character, Teresa more than others, began to take big mouthfuls. Teresa’s drunken acting was extremely convincing to the point I even found myself wondering if there was actually alcohol in the bottle. Depicted as a teetotaller, this unravelling of Teresa was comically well timed but also cruel as she revealed long held secrets between the sisters that made me begin to feel slightly outraged.  

Through the use of costuming the different eras of the play were carefully recreated. From the mother’s clothes dating back to the 1950s, to the daughter’s outfits of the 90s, watching the younger generation laugh at the outdatedness of the 50s was well acted. This was especially time bending, as we the audience, were watching a play set a few decades ago and considering the style of the current actors on stage in their 90s garb. Each style reflected the sister’s personalities, Teresa dressed primly and modestly in her floor length skirt and long cardigan represented the typical older sister, put together and playing the role of the martyr to her younger siblings. Whilst the middle sister, Mary dressed casually as if to emphasise her lack of care about presentation, serving to focus on her intelligence instead. The youngest Catherine, dressed most flamboyantly stole the show with her shopping obsession and bright colours, attracting attention in her bold clothes in order to gain the most attention.  

A story above all else about three sisters and their various pathways through life exploring the bitterness, resentment and love they have for one another. As they navigate the landscape of grief the play asks of them and us; how do we mourn and forgive? 

The Cast:

Vi- Vicky Binns

Teresa- Victoria Brazier

Catherine- Helen Flanagan

Mary- Polly Lister

Mike- Charlie De Melo

Frank- Reginald Edwards

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