Harrogate Theatre – until 5 October 2019
Reviewed by Katie Goldsbrough
4****
Connection is the story of 2 strangers, who meet in A&E in Harrogate hospital and go on a journey together, finding out all there is to know about each other along the way.
Written by as well as staring Rachel Halliwell this is a great story looking at how mental health and dementia can affect those around you in ways you may not realise, it looks at the real impact it can have on people’s lives. It addresses hard hitting issues and you may find yourself reaching for the tissues empathising with the characters.
Elaine played by Cathy Breeze is a care worker dealing with the death of a client, while Catherine played by Rachel Halliwell is there after an incident with her mother caused by her dementia. In the second act we are introduced to Steve played by Andrew Turner, who plays a very good misogynist drunk in pain. You have sympathy for him even though he’s made some bad choices and his actions have had terrible consequences.
Finally, we have Yasmin played by Emma Leah Golding, Yasmin is the hospital vicar who helps Steve open up.
The story connects these characters and we see how they interact with each other to ultimately better each other. They come in and out of each other’s lives and as we learn about them, we feel a connection and sympathy with them all.
The staging was basic with some slightly odd lighting changes, lights dimming mid scene for no apparent reason. However, this can be over looked as the story hooked you in. The set was very basic, just four chairs moved around after each scene to indicate a change and a sign showing we were in a hospital. This actually helped focus on the words of the characters and what was going on.
I would recommend getting there early to get a good seat as seating is unreserved and a lot of seats have a restricted view. Overall, I would recommend this play to anyone looking for something new, there is dark humour throughout so it’s not all doom and gloom, but at the same time don’t go expecting too much of a happy ending either.
The play looks at real life issues and a lot of people will go through similar experiences throughout their lives, if you have had experience of a family member or friend suffering from dementia be aware this could be hard hitting and bring back some bad memories. This is the type of story that can help people understand what others go through and see it from someone else’s point of view. If you get chance, go see it. It’s only 1h 40 minutes long including an interval, so won’t take up much of your time and you could learn something