Review: At The End of The Day She's Still Your Mother @ Unity Theatre
The fourth show of Unity Theatre's 'Up Next Festival' is a nuanced, intricate exploration into cross-generational relationships and the intrinsic need to be loved.
Last night marked the third night of performances at Up Next Festival, the annual celebration of Merseyside-based talent hosted by the Unity Theatre in Liverpool. With the ever-intensifying challenge of getting new writing out to audiences, the Unity is providing the perfect resource for aspiring writers and works in development. Thanks to the theatre’s Open Call Crowd Funder 2023 and funding from The Arts Society and The Granada Foundation, the two week festival contains 11 original plays, along with live comedy, evidencing that support is thankfully still out there for creatives in the most amazing but under-financed industry.
New writing is a gift to theatre, and with creative voices potently exhibiting such social and political awareness now more than ever, it is essential to get these stories onto the stage and heard by the masses. Artists featured on the Up Next Festival lineup are proving to do just that, with already-performed shows exploring the drag community (WoMan by Andrew McKay/Filla Crack), neurodiversity and disability (Space Invaders x Liar by Tip Tray Theatre) and Tunisian identity told from an Irish perspective (BERBER BOY by Daniel Foxsmith and Moncef Mansur). Jess Green’s At The End of The Day She’s Still Your Mother is a perfect addition to this list as we experience a relationship between a mother and daughter, who’s generational differences juxtapose their respective ideologies, politics, emotions, and coping mechanisms.
From the outset, we meet Andrea Sykes (add ‘69’ to that if you’re searching for her on Instagram), and her daughter Stevie who are seeing each other for the first time in five years. Only, this reunion is by complete chance and occurs in a cancer clinic. With fate up in the air and test results pending, just one thing is certain: this mother and daughter can’t stand each other.
Since their estrangement, the whereabouts of Stevie (Emily Horrex) have remained unknown to Andrea (Blue Merrick), leaving the single mother with not much more than her burgeoning Instagram obsession. With a clear desire to maintain her obscurity, Stevie remains tight-lipped to her mother’s questions which reignites their rift from the get-go. As time unravels, it is apparent that this familial dispute goes much deeper than a mere argument, with resentment being at the forefront of almost every interaction.
The character development throughout the play is executed perfectly by Green. Despite some verbal slaps across the face between the mother and daughter, their nuanced ways of communicating often suggest that all hope is not lost for their relationship. Yet just when you think progress is being made, conflict rears its head and puts another emotional wedge between the two. The performances by Horrex and Merrick elevate this aspect of the writing brilliantly as both demonstrate the deep-rooted complexities of their characters with constant assurance. The directorial approaches of this production are also to be commended, with thoughtful physicality punctuating the piece, allowing for scenes to transition with imaginative cohesion.
A personal highlight of the play is the first indicator that Andrea and Stevie have something in common: a love of gossip. Whether it’s to do with lover-of-lip-filler Jilly, or womanising Patik, their mutual commitment to such conversations suggest that they equally yearn for a second chance, and a part of themselves that can love and be loved.
Still in its early phases of development, At The End of The Day She’s Still Your Mother already proves to be a great piece of theatre that deserves to go on to live a life of longevity. Although, as explained by Green before the show, funding seems to be an unattainable luxury in the current climate of the creative industries, it is hard-hitting stories like this one that need to be backed by those with the resources.
Make sure to get yourself to any and/or every date of this fantastic festival. You can still find tickets for the following shows here:
Wed 1 May, 18:15 & 20:30: Earth is Lost by Sonic Mutiny
Wed 1 May, 19:30: Sass: A Chained Melody by Olayemi Z. Ade
Fri 3 May, 18:15: Revival by Natalie Denny
Fri 3 May, 20:00: Buckled by Helen Jeffery
Sat 4 May, 18:15: Losing Brian by The Barry Brian and Bean Company
Sat 4 May, 20:00: Up Next Comedy Night