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Patrick Bridgman as Stephen, Connie Walker as
Winny and Chloe Harris as Kayleigh. Picture: Graeme Braidwood
Folk
Birmingham Rep Studio
*****
TOM Wells is a new writer who excels in
telling the story of people that we see every day, but to whom we never
really pay any attention.
Folk
shows the unlikely friendship between three very different people and
links them together with humanity and love. In his three-hander, Wells
brings together the lives of Winnie, Stephen and Kayleigh who rely on
each other.
The story is a beautiful account of daily life.
With the slick and emotional direction from Tessa Walker, Wells’
powerful story highlights the magic of friendship, trust and folk music.
Bob Bailey’s set is an exact replica of most
Irish Catholic household’s post 1970. The Sacred Heart of Jesus takes
pride of place next to the front door and images of saints and
crucifixes are scattered over the walls, including the legend Pope John
Paul II smiling proudly. The set is incredibly detailed giving the
feeling of a small and humble living room, not forgetting the map of
Ireland on the back wall.
Winnie and Stephen spend every Friday night
together and as a treat, they share songs over Guinness while Stephen
plays guitar and Winnie sings.
After getting a brick thrown her window one
Friday night, instead of calling the police, to Stephen’s dismay, Winnie
invites the culprit in. We then meet Kayleigh whose teenage life seems
out of hand. Kayleigh’s fascination of song and the ability to learn the
fiddle incredibly fast leads Winnie into the idea organising a night of
folk music for the parish.
What makes this production so moving is the fact
that Wells brings out the essence of each character. His incredible
writing is indeed a beautiful thing and the story becomes a by-product
of the life within each character.
Watching the story of Winnie, Stephen and
Kayleigh, the audience feel as if they know each character individually.
With the contagious enthusiasm from Winnie, Stephen and Kayleigh learn
how to deal with their own problems by looking at life through Winnie’s
eyes.
The sceptical and closed Stephen makes a brave
journey, from not wanting to talk to Kayleigh at all, to sharing his
innermost thoughts and teaching Kayleigh to play music. Wells shows that
the love of Winnie effects everyone’s lives for the better, even when
they don’t find themselves in the best situation.
Of course, Wells’ charming script would not be
complete without the aid of the cast to bring out the beautiful and
touching characteristics of the trio. Connie Walker takes the role of
Winnie with great ease, being the typical Irish nun, it could be very
easy to cross the lines of caricature, but Walker knows exactly how to
play her and the audience are in safe hands.
Winnie is the driving force of the story and it
is clear that her essence is what Stephen and Kayleigh feed off.
Walker’s depiction of the excitable and loving sister is a wonderful
delight. Through Walker, we see every colour of Winnie, from waiting all
week for a Friday night hoolie and trying her absolute hardest not to be
stopped with her own matters of ill health. Walker represents a woman
with the purest of souls.
An excellent performance from Patrick Bridgman
too with his portrayal of Stephen. From thinking that nothing can be
worse than performing in front of a crowd, to opening up about his
troubles of being made redundant. Bridgman captures the shy Stephen in a
touching manner as we see the hard journey from not wanting to engage at
all with Kayleigh, to being inspired by Winnie’s selflessness.
Kayleigh is played by Chloe Harris with such
maturity and a command that is inspirational. From finding Winnie and
Stephen, Kayleigh discovers that her life can be so much more than she
anticipated. Harris brings the feeling of hope to her character and
indeed the rest of the story. She tells us that it is fine not to know
the direction of where we are in life at one particular point.
Wells describes Winnie as ‘no ordinary nun’. On
the contrary, Winnie is an exceptional human being and shows what all
nuns should be like. She exudes a love for life so incredibly rare and
touching that it is enough to bring tears to the eyes. Through Winnie,
there is no judgement, but a love and for everyone that is inspiring. To
30-04-16
Elizabeth Halpin
19-04-16
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