On the penultimate night of the festival MADF welcomed another group from the Isle of Man, the Legion Players who presented Marsha Norman’s play ‘night, Mother. This is a heart-breaking tale of two ordinary women which was first premiered at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is the winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The drama is set in Mama’s house somewhere in America occurring over a single winter evening. The story follows Jessie (Michelle Jamieson), an epileptic divorcee who lives with her mother (Mama), Thelma (Stephanie Gray). On this night Jessie casually announces that she is going to kill herself and as the play progresses we see Mama’s desperate attempts to talk her daughter out of committing suicide. Along the way we learn of all the different reasons why Jessie wants to end her life, whilst she keeps busy completing everyday household chores naturally and carelessly. Norman cleverly highlights the loneliness and isolation of an ordinary woman, captivating a failed mother-daughter relationship in a terrifically effective way.

In the words of the adjudicator, Mike Tilbury, Legion Players’ production of ‘night, Mother was “heart rending” and “moving”. This play requires two strong actresses and that is exactly what we got last night from the Legion Players, the cast of two established an excellent pace and great rhythm from the very beginning. Gray’s Mother had brilliant body language and facial expressions with very heartfelt speeches. She also developed her desperation well but the adjudicator suggested that Gray could lengthen some of the pauses and do more with the emotional blackmail. However, it was a touching performance from Gray with an exceptional, emotional and unforgettable final moment. This moment of the play was described by the adjudicator as “tense and spellbinding” and I believe brought a lot of the audience to tears. The cast of two worked extremely well together and there was very natural dialogue between the two of them throughout the show. Jamieson delivered her seizure speeches excellently and her movement around the stage was very natural and well-marked, directing the mood and dialogue perfectly. Jamieson’s phrasing was fantastic and beautifully timed, something the adjudicator picked up on. Her performance was full of meaning and the audience could see the thought process behind every line and movement, it was brilliantly executed. The adjudicator also described the young actress as “extraordinary” and said it was a “performance of terrific depth, intensity and maturity”. Both Jamieson and Gray presented a heart breaking performance and overall it was a beautifully conceived production.

Legion Players’ set was pleasingly crafted with love and detail, as well as using lamps to set a realistic mood. There was also an outside light in the kitchen window which dimmed as Jessie’s life ebbed away. The playwright asks for a working clock on stage and the Legion Players even stopped this clock during the interval, they have a fabulous eye for detail through the whole production. The adjudicator thought the performance would have been more effective without this interval as it interrupted Jessie’s countdown, however this may not have been the Director’s (Benjamin Heath) choice but the venue or festivals. The costumes were suitable and worked well to portray the difference between the two characters. The final song was haunting and a perfect finish to an impressive and outstanding production by the Legion Players. These choices made by Heath made the production whole as he not only created a great set that made the movement fluid with the wonderful use of a kitchen island but he also shaped a somewhat surreal, but remarkable atmosphere through their production of ‘night, mother.

Overall, last night we saw an extremely powerful performance from both actresses, Jamieson and Gray. Norman’s play ‘night, Mother is a clever piece of writing with an emotive storyline and Legion Players presented an unforgettable production that personally brought me to tears.

• Megan Rossiter, MADF Official Reviewer