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Prison bonds: Mother and daughter's estranged reunion
18 Sep
Summary
- Mother and daughter's estrangement unfolds during prison visits.
- A lifer mother and her career-driven daughter navigate their differences.
- The play explores prison's impact on women and fractured relationships.
Rona Munro's 2002 prison drama is revived, casting real-life mother and daughter Christine and Lois Mackie as Fay and Josie. Fay, a convicted murderer, meets her estranged daughter Josie, a successful professional, during monthly prison visits. Fifteen years have passed since they last saw each other.
Josie, who grew up with her grandmother, presents a polished, detached demeanor, contrasting sharply with her mother's raw, sharp-edged persona. Fay, portrayed as a captive bird, oscillates between vulnerability and manipulation, her true nature and the reasons for her incarceration remaining ambiguous.
The narrative emphasizes how vastly different their lives have become, suggesting that societal circumstances and a "bad roll of the dice" can lead individuals like Fay to incarceration. The production, directed by Sam Holland-Bunyan, adopts a quiet, subdued tone, focusing on the psychological complexities of their relationship and the broader implications of women's imprisonment.
