Not Your Superwoman production image. Photo by Rich Lakos.The two-hander sensitively delivered by Golda Rosheuvel and Letitia Wright as mother and daughter Joyce and Erica, leans strongly into Guyanese heritage and the Caribbean influence over female familial relationships. Here, that relationship is undergoing evaluation and reassessment following the death of their matriarch. Lilting accents avoid any hint of parody as the women journey from London to the home country to dispose of grandma’s ashes whilst hopefully fostering some mother daughter understanding and connection along the way.
Joyce broods onto the stage behind Gino Ricardo Green’s gauze of facial projections, which is zipped away to reveal an airport waiting room at the start of the show. She has upgraded their seats to Business Class using points from the legal firm where she has long worked as an EA to provide a roof and food for her child, and later, to support her during university. When Erica arrives late with her carry-on luggage, it is the first indication of the disharmony that exists between them. Their meeting is cordial but hardly loving and harmonious. Their comedic, verbal acid drops, quickly create an impression that communication between the generations has become an issue. But what underpins the disconnect?
Through a sequence of vignettes during which the pair jump back and forth in time to play their assigned roles or regress to assume the guise of the preceding generation, we learn of failed relationships, pregnancies, hardship, hard work and sacrifices. The most obvious downside to Joyce’s frequent 50 hour working weeks, was that Erica grew to depend upon and develop a stronger bond with her grandmother, who in turn shared secrets and experiences of her life back in Guyana, including the identity and whereabouts of Joyce’s father. This last revelation proves a considerable bone of contention between the two when Erica admits she has known of his existence for more than a year.
The production’s minimal props, pared-back playing area and costumes, allows the angular set design with two entrance/exits, to come into its own. Backdrop projections and subtle sound design inconspicuously elevates the experience of being in a hotel bar, on a small plane flight, and other moments in the piece. The effect is to require the audience’s attention to focus on the dialogue and mini-revelations, which help us piece together the events and relationship difficulties that have brought the women to this point in their lives.
Finally, it is always a pleasure to discover that an actor who has become synonymous with playing a particular television role — in this instance Ms Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte from the hugely successful Bridgerton franchise — is capable of turning-in a stage performance which reflects a much broader and deeper range. Indeed, it is difficult to take your eyes off her in NOT YOUR SUPERWOMAN which continues at Bush Theatre until 1st November and has a running time of 1 hour 20 mins without an interval.
