Writer: Richard Cameron

Director: Ruth Carney

Music: Andrew Griffiths

Reviewer Sheila Stratford

The Public Reviews Rating:

The intimate Lantern Theatre is the perfect venue for this one act play. You feel the characters are revealing to you personally their experiences and anxieties as they grow into young womanhood.

This critically acclaimed play with an enigmatic title, demands attention from the start. Numerous characters are created via the script that are never seen on stage yet are as pivotal to the play as the three main characters. The play is a harrowing, gripping story that unfolds as the three actors take turns in delivering monologues as their stories criss-cross each other.

It is the story of three young women, all victims of Royce Boland a menacing, brutal man that we never actually see and yet his presence is felt throughout. The young women lead very separate lives though their relationships and experiences in a small South Yorkshire town are intertwined. And finally their common loathing of Royce brings them together and helps them to move on with their lives.

There is drama and tension throughout. The three characters created by local playwright Richard Cameron are very different in personality. Laura Hobson as Ruby the flighty teenager then protective mother is making her professional debut in this play and is certainly a name to watch. Carla Harrison-Hodge as Jodie also making her professional debut carries the audience with her as she relates her experiences as a ten year old that matures into a young woman of strength. This is no mean feat. The talented Samantha Robinson as Lynette creates a most believable character engendering raw emotions in the audience .The monologues come fast and furious but all with strong, clear diction and full of pathos that can not fail to evoke the emotions for their plights. If you watch this performance in South Yorkshire you might want to hear more consistently authentic local accents.

The only props are three swings which cleverly suggest childhood, a time for release, a time for reflection and movement. Yet at other times, the swings, enhanced by the subtle lighting create a slightly menacing presence. The music plays a clever part in creating the mood of the play.

A thought provoking play full of tension and certainly not for the faint hearted.

Runs until 27 October 2012

Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down – The Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Tags: Andrew Griffiths, Can’t Stand Up for Standing Down, Carla Harrison-Hodge, Lantern Theatre, Laura Hobson, Richard Cameron, Royce Bolland, Ruth Carney, Samantha Robinson, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Theatre, yorkshire