Vivienne Blackwood (Alison Peebles), known to her grandchildren as Glamma for reasons that are abundant across the play, is an actress about to have her 80th birthday with a surprise party. Her dysfunctional family comprising exes, adult children and grandchildren are all invited to what they think will be one of her legendary parties with the usual crowd of celebs and luvvies. But boy are they in for a shock. This is a surprise party like no other because this matriarch has gathered them around her to announce to them that she has arranged to voluntarily end her life.
What follows is the playing out of the unresolved issues of this wealthy if fractured family that have risen to the surface thanks to the catalyst of Vivienne’s party. Reprimands and accusations swirl about among the string of largely unsympathetic characters from James (Angus Yellowlees) the naïve weak grandson with his mouthy American singer girlfriend Cass (Ruby Glyne); Sasha (Rachel Dick) the neglected pregnant granddaughter; Lily (Hilary Maclean) the born again Christian daughter; Geoff (Gilly Gilchrist) the selfish, greedy bastard son; Bill (Benny Young) the “always a quote never an action” ageing film star ex-husband and Carol (Liz Kettle) Geoff’s ex wife who now lives and cares for the ailing Vivienne. Their personal problems manage to either equal or outweigh what is the central point of the play – Vivienne and her life choice.
When Vivienne is wheeled in dressed to kill (literally in this case), she recites Hamlet’s famous soliloquy and a Shakespeare quote is never far from some character’s mouth over the piece aiding the sense of the play’s Englishness despite half of the cast and writer Morna Young, who was named as Scots writer of the year at the Scots language Awards in 2019, being Scottish. In fairness, there’s a line from Burns’ A Red, Red Rose and The Parting Glass is sung at the end.
Alison Peebles brings a particular poignancy to her role as she is living with MS but her character’s line saying “I’m at peace” does not ring true while disruptive dynamics that are clearly unconducive to a peaceful atmosphere rage around her. The family’s theatrical goodbye to her is an embarrassing and painful watch.
While it important that this controversial and sensitive subject is being brought to light via artistic genres as it has been with François Ozon’s film Tout s’est bien passé (Everything Went Fine) and Andrew O’Hagan’s novel Mayflies, this particular version lacks bite and dark humour. Designer Richard Kent’s set gives the promise of a drawing room drama and the script goes on to deliver that form and so, disappointingly, feels stilted and clichéd.
Dates: Thursday 6th – Sunday 30th August
Running time: 2 hours 5 mins with short interval
Age recommend: 14+
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 