Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Making my way to the Playhouse theatre on the river bank, I prepared myself for a troubling and emotional afternoon. My judgement was based purely on: a) the title (see above), b) the fact the production is  modelled on Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's film Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios known for its black comedy, and c) the minimal number of Spanish films I have seen, which are brilliant, but hardly uplifting. Retrospectively, perhaps I should have based it on comic actress Tamsin Grieg's role as protagonist, Pepa, the colourful and stylish poster plastered in every tube station, and the fact that it was my sister who recommended we get tickets (she's not one for serious, sit-in-the-dark-and-shut-up theatre).

We had seats in the circle, but were instantly upgraded to stalls, the fourth row from the stage! Still unsure as to the reasons for this thanks to the mystique of theatre (a box office assistant telling us it was down to unsold seats and his manager promptly scolding him for over-sharing), we eagerly took our VIP seats and admired the stage, modern and full of pops of colour. And the performance followed suit. The opening scene was a chaotic dream sequence of characters running on and off stage to a backdrop of Spanish guitar and singing from the highly talented Ricardo Afonso who played the taxi driver - a guardian angel with a comical (and musical) twist. This fast-paced and fluidly blocked scene set the tone for the rest of the performance - characters whizzed across the stage, twirled and fluttered from entrance to exit, bursting into song at every opportunity, whilst the scenery seamlessly transformed behind them.

I'm not usually one to notice costuming in a modern-era play, but the gorgeous styling of this production was hard to miss, and reflected the bright and upbeat nature of the story, even in its lowest moments. It also helped to drive home the point: these were fashionable, powerful women, all seamlessly coiffured and made up on the outside, but falling apart on the inside. 

In a two hour production, it can be hard to create lasting and believable relationships, but Grieg's affectionate and gentle way of performing gave her relationship with best friend Candela (Anna Skellern) a truly touching and genuine portrayal. Pepa, and indeed all the characters, are loveable because they're real. They have unlikeable and annoying traits, and they make mistakes, they're not all independent women who can cope without men all of the time, but at least they're trying. And hey, the men definitely can't cope without them either. This realism is of course due in part to the original film plot, but the acting really allowed it to shine through - the combination of slick physical movement and natural  speech created an atmosphere in which we could enjoy an entertaining and exciting piece of theatre whilst genuinely relating to and believing the characters.

Grieg was visibly emotional by the end of the performance. I'm not sure whether this happens to her at every show, whether it was exhaustion, or pride. But for me, the emotional aspect was the lasting message that, no matter what catastrophic thing may happen (and in this play all the catastrophic things happened), the sisterhood of women and female friendship is strong enough to get through just about anything. Totally empowering, and the perfect play to see with the three best ladies in my life.

See it now! Get tickets here