Currently enjoying its London premiere at the Arcola’s Studio 2, Chloe Moss’s powerful family drama Run Sister Run uses the device of flipping the timeline through a careful set of scenes between sisters Connie (Jo Herbert) and Ursula (Kelly Gough).
Although they have a chemistry between them that suggests a once close relationship, it is clear from the first time we see them together that something has forced them apart, and that Run Sister Run was going to be a play that tackled difficult issues and let secrets spill out.
First, we have had a glimpse of Connie’s world, organising flowers and dealing with a teenage son, Jack (Charlie Beaven), who is unable to reach any emotion other than simmering anger.
Her husband, Adrian, is sarcastic, controlling, and dismissive, especially when it comes to the early revalation that Jack’s girlfriend is pregnant and intends to keep the baby.
Our sympathies shift between the sisters (or at least, go back and forth) as the play progresses. It’s a balancing act expertly presented by Moss’s script.
Connie seems trapped, and as we go back in her life we see hints of a marriage gone sour and class asperations that dictate a particular way of behaving under the public gaze.
Ursula, when she visits ten years after the first scene, develops a bond with her young nephew (Beaven now playing nine years old, beautifully capturing the wonder of imaginary friends and boundless curiosity) but is seen to an embarrassment.
Why becomes clear in one pivotal scene requiring both Herbert, and especially Gough, to act out the realities of the devious and unpredictable addict.
Although Beaven’s Jack and Theo Fraser Steele‘s Adrian have less to do, their characters remain on the stage throughout, usually standing or sitting behind the bar and mirror set (by Tomas Palmer) that also becomes a place to gather items from throughout the lives of the sisters.
There is a lot of Run Sister Run conveyed through touch, whether changing how hair is set, creating a way to abate loneliness by self-hugging, or in quick physical movements that allow a silent commentary on what’s happening.
Costume changes happen quickly, with clothes retrieved from buckets of confetti that allow the stage to become cluttered and messy as each scene unfolds.
Marlie Haco‘s direction pulls all this together through a one-act that lasts 105 minutes. That it passes fast and never drags is a tribute to the pacing and the writing, while all four actors are skilled in the development of their characters.
You don’t need to be present at every moment in Connie’s life to guess how miserable her existence has been after she met Adrian, who seems kind and solitious at the time they first met. You do get to see how needy she is and how she has a cruel streak that cuts her sister’s lively spirit dead.
There are gaps, and questions, but we are just rubbing a window pane and taking a glance in. A hospital scene gives some answers, but some loose ends are never quite tied, making the final scene less emotional than it might have been.
However, Run Sister Run balances its many threads well, with the running time allowing a focus where it matters. We go away with some understanding of who these sisters are, and are even allowed to have a sliver of hope in a happy future.
This play is far from predictable, and navigates a path of controlled chaos.
4 stars.
Run Sister Run, presented by Double Telling, continues at the Arcola Theatre until 26 July, with details here.
Image credit: Marc Brenner