The relationship between Paula Keen’s Mrs. Baker and Cooper was just as complex. Paula’s character was the more reserved person, who slowly divulges aspects of her life. We find out that she is caring for her father, who has begun the decline of mental agility but she is determined that he doesn’t go into a home. This was not lost on the audience. There was nice rise and fall in the dialogue and singing. In some ways this play was as much about relationships between family members as about old age. It can be difficult within a play to show the change in a character but Steven Moss did this well. From the confident, outgoing person that planned escapes and shared laughs with his friend to a person that is just beginning to show aspects of forgetfulness. Something that he and Cooper have been dreading. All the action took place in Cooper’s room. The stage was designed and built under the supervision of Alan Reidsma. The neutral colours of the bedroom and the mixed wooden furniture, did indeed remind me of the rooms in care homes when I have visited relatives. The lighting and sound by Steve Smith and Kate Keen was effective. The music covered the slick scene changes. This play tackled a sensitive issue for some, whether that be members of the family moving into a care home or that of watching our loved ones deteriorate with age but the author does this quite sensitively, and uses dark humour to give respite.
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