Miss Myrtle’s Garden
Danny James King
Bush Theatre
Star rating: 3
Yet another (but welcome) play about dementia, this one is set in the titular garden nicely evoked by Khadija Raza’s set and Dan Balfour’s sound with soil, flowers and birdsong.
Miss Myrtle (Diveen Henry) and her husband Melrose (Mensah Bediako) are first generation Caribbean immigrants whose grandson Rudy (Michael Ahomka-Lindsay) has come to lodge in her house with his boyfriend Jason (Elander Moore). Eddie (Gary Lilburn) is a kindly Irish widowed neighbour, fond of drink.
She is now becoming confused and it isn’t long before we realise that she too is widowed but in continuous conversation with Melrose – not an original concept. Flowers for Mrs Harris (adapted by Rachel Wagstaff from Paul Gallico for Sheffield Theatres on 2016 and Chichester Festival Theatre in 2018) uses the same device, for example. Nonetheless it’s effective and poignant especially when she mistakes Eddie for her late husband.
Henry brings a lot of sardonic humour to this piece. Her character is tactlessly forthright and capriciously unpredictable. The well-observed dementia comes and goes, of course, like an old fashioned radio going in an out or tune as the dial is twiddled. Rudy, who speaks RP because he’s been to college and is a teacher, is worried about her and evidently very close to her.
The piece, however, effectively has two plots which are not always convincingly wound together. Jason desperately wants, full, open commitment – and honesty – from Rudy who is reluctant to come out as gay partly because it will upset his grandmother but also because he fears there will be repercussions at the Catholic school which employs him. When the coming our finally happens it’s a witty non-event. Moreover there’s a dangling secret about the premature death of Rudy’s father Rudolph which is never satisfactorily explored.
The dialogue is well written and sharp but sadly not always audible. This is, of course, a problem with theatre-in-the-round and the Bush seats its audience on four sides round a square playing space. It takes specific skill to make that work. Yes, we all know that theatre works much more inclusively without a fourth wall. On the other hand there was a reason why theatres evolved to be end-on and old fashioned drama schools taught actors never to turn their backs to the audience. I missed at least ten per cent of this play so it’s a good job I was issued with a play script in lieu of a programme – but I shouldn’t have to read it to fill in the gaps. Director Talo Lawson, please note.
