Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Review by Jasmine Ward

***** (5 Stars)

Studio Theatre at York, Theatre Royal - 25 October, 2013

“Remember when we used to measure time, in laughter, smiles and dandelion clocks.”

It is safe to say that I was truly moved by the unforgettable performance of Richard Cameron’s Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down at York Theatre Royal‘s Studio Theatre.

Can't Stand Up For Falling Down is a one-act play set in 1970s Yorkshire and is made up of monologues told by three females: Lynette (Lucy Phelps), Ruby (Faye Winter) and Jodie (Sarah Vezmar). Each character’s story starts off completely different but within time unfolding and intertwining, eventually building up to the shared fact that their lives are all being shattered by the same man. The characters show little interaction with each other until the final scene, this is a style I have never seen before in theatre but found that it worked amazingly and made the play unbelievably gripping.

Director John R. Wilkinson manages to transform a collection of monologues from a script and create such an effective and successful show. Wilkinson shows each character's emotional progression after each scene through the use of a tableau (a still image). Each character would freeze creating a realistic yet sometimes disturbing still image. Sarah Vezmar in particular shows this exceptionally well, at one point capturing a moment of bursting into tears, for a second the whole audience had the desire to jump in and save the character from this moment of distress. It was moments like this that really involved the audience in the emotional journey of the show.

The set is a four-layered thrust studio space decorated with an array of rubbish, including a metal bin lid, a tipped chair, and an old table. Weeds also run in the cracks of each layer of the set. The set represents the women’s thoughts and memories, at first seeming like a harmless place where children would play but then transforming into the representation of Lynettes’s  breakdown: her mind a mess, like the rubbish filled space, a place full of memories that she did not want to visit. The lighting is simple yet effective and consists of three lights, each used softly on the character in turn of their monologue.

The contrast of simplicity and depth is what makes this play so beautifully unique - along with the outstanding acting performances from all three women. Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down is a show I will always remember, a definite five stars out of five.

Can't Stand Up For Falling Down is showing until 16 November 2013 at Theatre Royal, York. Tickets are available here: http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/handheld/shows/Cant_Stand_Up_For_Falling_Down.php