Jack Studio Theatre – until 11 October 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Separated in their teens when their parents divorced, Harriet (Eliza Brown) moves in with her brother George (Fraser Houston) 12 years later after the sudden loss of her best friend. While Harriet has been living with her emotionally open mother in England, George’s father moved them back to Scotland, where George learned to never show emotions and just get on with things.
The clashes between stoic and steady George – a care worker whose only friend is one of his elderly clients and whose archenemy is his boss – and erratic and volatile Harriet – working in a coffee shop but becoming increasingly involved with an eco-activism group – over dinner menus, mess and bills are realistic and natural as they revert to calling each other Worm and Stinkbug although, for me, there are a few missteps in the writing around George’s silence about Harriet’s “stalker” as he tries to “fix” her grief. As Harriet gets deeper into activism and begins to neglect her job, the cracks begin to show, and George’s ability to repress his emotions falters as events spiral. Learning how to deal with disaster alongside their grief is the major challenge of the story as the example set by their parents seems to have been to simply leave. George’s frustration at his sister’s immaturity and naivety are easy to understand, along with the envy that he could never dare act like her and disappoint his father.
Toby Bruton directs skilfully as the two-hander plays out in Molly Payne’s one room set. The siblings’ navigation of rebuilding their relationship, and Harriet’s grief is written with wit and warmth by Eliza Brown. Brown plays Harriet endearingly as an eternal teenager with crossed arms, raised eyebrows and sneers until real emotions and steeliness are shown as survival instinct kicks in. Houston has more to work with as George, as every emotion he represses is expertly writ large in his face and body language before being pushed down. The actors have believable sibling chemistry and the cosy, quieter moments of the play build investment in the clashes between the pair. There are a few confrontations that fizzle out and go nowhere that could be cut, but Hand-Me-Downs is a play with exciting potential.