*Content warning for mentions of grief*

It’s the first anniversary celebration of Sara and Saskia’s mother’s death, what could possibly go wrong? Aside from, of course, a balloon that unwittingly looks like a penis, a highly energetic fiance and Gerald the squirrel, otherwise known as mother reincarnated. To top things off, there’s a jaw-dropping secret hiding somewhere in the mess, threatening to turn laughable chaos into something much more heartstopping…

The current run at The Other Palace marks the London debut of the show, having been first performed at Edinburgh Fringe this past summer. It had a successful run in Edinburgh, with Fringe Biscuit listing the show in its Top 100 trending shows of the Edinburgh Fringe and it was awarded the Keep It Fringe grant. Since coming to London, it has partnered with Sue Ryder, a charity which helps support both people who are dying and people who are grieving.

Florence Lace-Evans, who has written and performs in the show, makes a bold statement with this story by bringing difficult conversations to the forefront of the stage space. When discussing the motivations behind the piece, she comments: “I want to highlight the social issue of people not always being able to openly communicate about grief, as well as the broad spectrum of how people process the death of a loved one.” Is this show successful in this regard? We think it is.

The premise in itself is very intriguing and we are not entirely sure what to expect coming into the show given that squirrels aren’t typically connected with grief. Yet this concept makes complete sense coming out of the show with how well it is explained and explored. It is deeply moving and, at times, heartbreaking to see Sara (played by Lace-Evans) project her grief onto the squirrel, claiming that Gerald was her mother reincarnated. Lace-Evans’ performance in this piece really stands out as she allows Sara to ride through the motions, showing us that any extreme or unusual reaction to the loss of a loved one, makes perfect sense even a year on. She has us believing in the importance of Gerald’s appearance; we only wish that Gerald had been allowed more stage time and we would have liked to have seen Gerald in the flesh at least once.

Saskia (played by Eleanor Griffiths) and Mark (played by Fabian Bevan) are such unique characters, each representing alternate ways of grieving. Mark’s character being so light-hearted and sometimes childish makes his moments of sincerity that much more impactful as he acts as the mediator with the facade of a want-to-be-hero. Saskia’s high-strung nature presented as compacted guilt allows the drama of the show to come through, as what looks to be typical sibling bickering becomes a test of strength of the family connection. The dynamic between the characters has us hooked from the outset, enabling the audience to feel comfortable laughing at uncomfortable situations and really drawing them into the closed door conversations the play actively invites.

The pacing of the show is almost farcical, slowly introducing the audience to the bizarreness of the situation whilst ensuring the audience doesn’t feel alienated. The rapid heartbeat of the show allows the moments of silence to be deafening, a hard skill to master in theatre. The stage design is simple yet effective, allowing for the special effects, with the lamps on stage randomly flickering at points and the radio switching on out of nowhere, to really shine through. The use of props to create visual comedy is clever, especially the ‘In Loving Memory’ banner which has us unsure whether to gasp or burst out laughing. Overall, the details within the show were well considered adding to comedic elements and the highly tense atmosphere.

Quirky, hilarious, thought-provoking and memorable.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill

Yes, We’re Related plays at The Other Palace until 17 November, with further info here.