Till the Stars Come Down
By Beth Steel
Nottingham Playhouse
–
Beth Steel’s Till the Stars Come Down has had an unusual first couple of years: it started life at the National Theatre where Steel was writer in residence before transferring to Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End. There have been 20 international productions since then but audiences outside London have been unable to see Steel’s fifth play – until now.
It is having its regional première at Nottingham Playhouse, the ideal theatre for Steel who originates from Shirebrook, near Mansfield. From the reaction of the audience on press night, the wait to see Steel’s deftly observed play about a dysfunctional family at a wedding was well worth it.
Steel writes naturally. Some of the audience must have been shrinking in their seats as they recognised their own family members’ behaviour mirrored in the totally credible characters on stage.
The first half of Till the Stars Come Down features three sisters getting ready for the wedding of Sylvia, impressively played by A K Golding, who is getting married to Polish immigrant Marek. They have problems applying their make-up and Sylvia can’t fasten her dress, so she has to find an alternative.
A K Golding (Sylvia), Ivan Ivashkin (Marek), Howard Ward (Tony) and Sadie Shimmin (auntie Carol). Above: Amelia Yates (Sarah) , Emma Pallant (Hazel), A K Golding (Sylvia), Leah Brotherhead (Maggie) and Howard Ward (Tony) [images: Sam Taylor]
The three sisters are all different. Emma Pallant is excellent as Hazel who struggles to cope with her dreary life while Leah Brotherhood shines as Maggie who has mysteriously moved away from the East Midlands.
The arrival of auntie Carol, the forthright guest from hell who never holds anything back, adds another layer of comedy. Brilliantly portrayed by Sadie Shimmin, auntie Carol first appears in a leopard-skin top and rollers in her hair.
Shimmin raises a laugh as she adds two places to the top table because she and her husband have been left off. She is remarkable when drunk, declaring that “booze makes me hungry and horny”. It’s such a clever performance from Shimmin who stutters and repeats herself in her inebriated state.
As the drinks flow, secrets are revealed and relationships are tested to the extreme. Some of the family dislike Marek, an accomplished Ivan Ivashkin, because he is Polish and has set up a successful business in an area where there is little work. He is wrongly accused of inappropriate behaviour and takes a beating.
Joe Alessi (Pete) and Sadie Shimmin (auntie Carol)
Graeme Hawley expertly portrays Hazel’s husband John as unemployed and unhappy. He wants things to change but that will lead to even more upheaval in the family.
There is also confrontation between brothers Pete (Joe Alessi) and Tony (Howard Ward) who were on opposite sides during the miners’ strike. Forgiveness is absent even though the industrial action finished decades ago.
Steel introduces tension and poignancy in her script – but the heartache is deflated by an amusing line which lightens the mood considerably.
Director Caroline Steinbeis succeeds in getting the most out of her actors although it’s the strong women who are the main focus and drive the play towards its unresolved, chaotic conclusion.
Till the Stars Come Down will make you laugh, cry and examine your own relationships. It’s a triumph for both Steel and Nottingham Playhouse.
* This review originally appeared on the British Theatre Guide website
