ajhlovestheatre

TILL THE STARS COME DOWN

by Beth Steel

directed by Bijan Sheibani

National Theatre/Dorfman, London – until 16 March 2024

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/till-the-stars-come-down/

As it’s only February, I’m wary of trumpeting Till The Stars Come Down as best play of the year, but I’d be prepared to wager it’ll be on every critic and regular theatregoer’s shortlist for 2024. In earlier works like Wonderland and The House of Shades, Beth Steel has proved repeatedly that she has a unique talent for mixing up the gritty realities of day-to-day lives with a bold melodramatic theatricality. This wonderful new play has elements of all that, but also a rich seam of humour, a clear-eyed take on the state of the UK today, and a cast of vivid characters drawn and played with truth and compassion. It is tremendous entertainment but it’s also more than that.

Set in Steel’s native Nottingham area, which probably explains the sometimes painful authenticity of every aspect of this script, the piece centres on a wedding, the sort of event that is frequently a catalyst for emotions boiling over and ancient resentments coming to the fore. Steel further enriches this by making the family gathered to celebrate the nuptials of delicate Sylvia (Sinéad Matthews) to Polish Marek (Marc Wootton) a microcosm of the UK today. Thus Dad Tony (Alan Williams) is a former miner who hasn’t spoken to his brother Pete (Philip Whitchurch) for years over an issue with the strikes in the 1980s. Pete’s wife Carol (Lorraine Ashbourne) is joyously lairy but has an opinion, however controversial, on everything. Meanwhile, Sylvia’s brother-in-law (Derek Riddell) can’t find work due to the industries shutting down while his wife and Sylvia’s older sister Hazel (Lucy Black) views immigrants with suspicion. Their daughter Leanne (Ruby Stokes) is a bit of a lost soul…..

It sounds a lot to take in, but Steel drip feeds the information and the revelations with so much skill, the characters are so engaging (even when they’re being appalling) and the dialogue is so funny, salty and sharp that it washes over you as a couple of hours of utter, if occasionally painful, pleasure. Bijan Sheibani’s production plays out in the round under a giant glitterball that suggests not just a party but the size of a planet, as if to put into perspective the human difficulties, joys and fury this onstage family is going through. It’s a show packed with fine things.

Not least is the acting, so real that it almost doesn’t feel like acting at all. Ashbourne’s comically rambunctious Aunty Carol and Black’s in-denial older sister with some pretty ugly viewpoints, are probably the showiest roles and both actresses inhabit them fully and marvellously. I was particularly drawn to Lisa McGrillis as arguably the most relatable of the sisters, a kind but flawed woman whose placid outer strength masks some a heart piercing vulnerability….she’s warm, funny, entirely convincing, it’s a beautiful performance. Sinéad Matthews’s childlike but tougher-than-she-looks Sylvia is exquisitely done. Really though, there is no weak link in this glorious company, every actor inhabiting the same crazy yet recognisable universe.

All in all, this is one of those sublime evenings where every element – writing, direction, design (Samal Blak – set and costumes, Paule Constable- lighting, Gareth Fry – sound), acting – is working in perfect harmony, and to utterly satisfying effect. It ends on a cathartic but quizzical note, and leaves the rapt audience wanting more. Ultimately, Till The Stars Come Down is a unique achievement: a superior situation comedy meets riveting family saga meets state-of-the-nation drama, all sprinkled with just a bit of theatrical magic. It deserves to be a big fat popular hit for the National. Do not miss.