ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE, MANCHESTER – UNTIL 13TH APRIL 2024
REVIEWED BY ZOE BROWN
4****
A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney tells the story of an unconventional mother and daughter relationship in late fifties poverty-stricken Salford. Helen, played by Jill Halfpenny, is a single mother who seems to run from man to man, constantly rejecting the welfare or emotional needs of her teenage daughter, in an endless pursuit of something and somewhere better round the corner. ‘The peculiar thing about Salford is that it’s like this terrible drug, you really perhaps want to get away from it, but you can’t, and a lot of people want to get away from Salford’ explains Delaney in a documentary for BBC four. Much like the people of Salford, Delaney writes about her characters being pushed and pulled by their environment, desperate to get away, but ultimately never leaving.
Delaney’s Helen is a restless woman, eager to be alive and retain her vitality, whose actions see her always on a downwards trajectory. In contrast her daughter (Rowan Robinson) who longs to put down some roots and despite recognising Salford as decaying and dirty, wants to stay and build a life for herself, (maybe just not in the dump of a flat they find themselves in at the opening of the play). When Helen leaves Jo again to run off and marry her latest ‘beau’ Jo is left to fend for herself and meets a passing Sailor, Jimmy, upon the dirty docklands of the Manchester Canal. Jimmy, played by Obadiah, woos her with a promise of marriage on his next return and Jo is left to carry his unborn child. Alone and pregnant Jo befriends Geoffrey, who she invites to live with her and who, despite being homosexual, very much cares for, and wants to take care of Jo and her baby.
The concluding scene is a bitter end where we find Jo, alone again, pregnant much like her own mother Helen was when she left to fend for herself whilst pregnant with Jo. This circular story is observational genius by writer Delaney and no less relevant today than it was at the time of writing.
Rowan Robinson’s debut theatrical performance at the Exchange is a fantastically stubborn and petulant young woman who often hides her true feelings behind a sarcastic quip. Jill Halpenny’s portrayal of an uncaring mother Helen is manipulative, fiery and vivacious. She takes us on a wonderful journey with her character to become somewhat remorseful and maternal, even if it is too late and still hidden in the swift snipes towards Jo and her ‘companion’ Geoffrey.
David Moorst’s Geoffrey is believable, funny and heart breaking to watch as he carries the weight of his sexuality and the dynamics of the, at times, scary and confusing mother/daughter relationship he finds himself in the middle of.
Nisha Smith’s entrancing singing weaves between the scenes with a jazzy rendition of ‘Dirty Old Town’ in reverence to the poverty-stricken industrial area of Salford in which the play is set.
The play was written in the ‘kitchen sink’ era however the Exchange’s version swings perhaps a little more toward comedy with theatrical asides and a sending up of some of the deadpan retorts. This said there is a vitality to the performances that means the time, sitting at just over 2hrs and 45mins flies by. An entertaining and thought-provoking production that brings to mind the ongoing themes of a broken societal system with a lack of education, funding and opportunity for working class people in this country, at a time when poverty in England is at a 30 year high and rising.
CONTENT WARNINGS – Contains derogatory language, racial slurs, smoking, and haze.