Review of ‘Cancer of the Blood – [A Comedy]’
‘Cancer of the Blood’ performed three sold out performances from Thursday the 10th-Saturday the 12th of March 2022. The production company behind the play (Brave Mirror Productions) is Bristol based and was set up in 2019 by Bristol graduates. They are focused on collaboration within the theatre industry ‘Cancer of the Blood’ has presented the company moving away from the ‘student theatre bubble.’ [1]
‘Cancer of the Blood’ (2022) - Brave Mirror Productions’. 2019. Brave Mirror Productions <https://bravemirror.com/cotb/> [accessed 4 April 2022] [2]
Whilst presenting a few productions in the short amount of time that the company had pre- pandemic, ‘Cancer of the Blood’ was their first original play: written and directed by Minnie Cunningham. The production company plan to perform a series of plays, focussing on new writing, over the coming season and, if ‘Cancer of the Blood’ is anything to go by, then I would definitely recommend looking out for future performances.
‘Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, or so the saying goes. This unhappy family has gathered to pay their last respects to Joy’s husband – let’s do a toast! But not everyone is willing to talk – Joy’s daughter, Anna, is particularly unsure, yet here she is with the eulogy in her hand. How can she summarise who her father was? What will they all choose to remember?’ [3]
When sitting down in the small theatre above Alma Tavern you look on stage to find a cosy kitchen covered in dying flowers. The lights dim and Natalie, the neurotic daughter, brings her elderly mother onstage and the audience are instantly brought into a fraught family dynamic, full of grieving, tension, and flirtatious interactions between Tim (Natalie’s partner) and her mother, Joy.
As the play begins to unfold, you soon learn of the father’s passing and that the flowers are gifts from his adoring fans. Eventually we learn that the father was a famous author, too caught up in writing his novels to pay much attention to his family. This family drama is all revealed in the climax where the two daughters (Natalie and Melanie) and Tim (Natalie’s partner) finally engage in an emotional conversation about their childhood living with their narcissistic father.
Despite these more emotional moments, and of course the looming presence of death and illness throughout the play, the comedic elements seep through both in dry humour and through the more flamboyant characters. The mix of personas portrayed suits this humour well and the four actors interact with great chemistry, making the transition between emotion and comedy all the more seamless. Each character is equally comical and sincere.
At only fifty minutes long the play perfectly captures the small snippets of the characters’ lives and manages to leave the audience satisfied with the conclusion.
By Flo White - Spanish Pathway, Subeditor
[1] About Us - Brave Mirror Productions’. 2019. Brave Mirror Productions <https://bravemirror.com/about-us/> [accessed 4 April 2022]
[2] ‘Cancer of the Blood’ (2022) - Brave Mirror Productions’. 2019. Brave Mirror Productions <https://bravemirror.com/cotb/> [accessed 4 April 2022]
[3] Ibid