The premise of Alison Skilbeck’s one-woman show is that of four women, all at various crossroads in their lives, who are only linked because they share a postcode. And indeed that is where the similarity between the characters ends, as this very talented performer has created four sharply drawn individuals each very different from each other, in a cleverly overlapping series of interesting stories.
Claire is the recently abandoned wife of a diplomat who has taken off with a younger woman just when they are about to retire back to England. But not one to give up, she is reclaiming her life through a newly-discovered passion for creating art.
Sophia is an Italian ‘greasy spoon’ owner who battles with her elderly mother while bringing to life her dream of changing the cafe to a trattoria, complete with opera cabaret. Sara is an even more exotic creature — a spirit weaver no less. I am afraid this hilarious sounding alternative therapy is beyond verbal explanation but Skillbeck brilliantly brings its secret ways to life visually. This gentle soul soothes troubled people’s auras with odd, comical-looking rituals that somehow give renewed hope and energy to their lives. It is lucky for stressed- out businesswoman Sam that their paths cross as Sara is able to bring peace to the unquiet spirit of this sharp-operating cougar — who is finding that the rat race and her complicated but essentially lonely life is getting to be too much even for her.
Both the script and the performance that brings these four women to vivid life are sharply funny, often poignant and always engaging. Are There More of You? is a great piece of studio theatre, ideally suited to the intimate space of the Burton Taylor Theatre, and I certainly hope that we see more shows like this from Skillbeck.
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