Bill MacIlwraith’s caustic play The Anniversary, written in 1966, is perhaps best known for the film version two years later presenting Bette Davis as the monstrous mother.
Set in South London, this play is a tug of power between the hideous Mum (Despina Sellar) and her three sons Terry (Mike Hadjipateras), Henry Craig Nightingale), and Tom (Ed Clements).
It’s the anniversary of Mum’s wedding, still celebrated as a macabre ritual under the watching portrait of Dad, who managed to escape through death. Their sons, assembled every year for ritual humiliation, haven’t been so lucky.
Terry, weak and downtrodden, is married to Karen (Sherralyn), who has assembled enough poisonous barbs of her own to deal with Mum. They have five children who are not tolerated by their grandma.
Henry has found an outlet to give him affection; he’s a gentle and sweet man and the plays attitude to him shows considerable empathy given the time it was written. But even he has a streak of malevolence exploited by Mum.
Tom, the youngest, has brought his girlfriend to make an announcement. Shirley (Caitlyn Vary) is young, pretty, and quiet, all of which are exploited by Mum’s vitriol. Mum is a woman who has suffocated her sons; although she appears charming, she is a viper.
Although The Anniversary occasionally causes audiences to gasp at its moments of cruelty, it is also wickedly funny, albeit in the blackest way. Sellar, in almost every scene, depicts a woman you can’t really hate, despite her sharpness.
Director Russell Fleet (who also gets credit for Karen’s costume) allows the play to fly and flourish, although the decision to have two intervals is curious and causes an unnecessary pause in the action.
The set design by Mobolaji Babalora captures a room of the period, including nick-nacks and a musical drinks cupboard. Most of the action takes place around the seating in the living room, but the studio auditorium lacks a sense of claustrophobia, allowing characters an occasional moment of escape.
As the sons, all three actors are very good and offer a sharp contrast to each other. Their bond is that they have all been hurt and exploited by Mum, but they seem to have turned on each other in later life.
The women often watch and wait, with Sherralyn’s Karen forming an uneasy bond with Vary’s Shirley while being ready to knife her in the back if required.
The Anniversary is a sharp play that entertains through the discomfort of characters and audience. We shouldn’t really be laughing at the plight of this family, but we do and feel glad we aren’t them.
The Anniversary runs at the Questors Studio until 25 Jan with tickets here.
3.5 stars.
Image credit: Jane Arnold-Forster