My Mother Said I Never Should, by Charlotte Keatley, is essentially a social history of the twentieth century from the Second World War on, as seen through the eyes of four women in one family; the women are mother and daughter in turn through the generations. Doris is the oldest, the great-grandmother of the family, and Margaret is her daughter, a child in the Blitz hiding under the piano. Margaret in her turn tries to cope with her daughter Jackie, a spirited artist caught up in the free love Sixties and in a relationship with a married man. In turn, Jackie’s daughter Rosie is more distant, a troubled and confused punk who has a deep need to be loved.
The cast is very strong and each gives a performance which is spellbinding. They portray the changing ages brilliantly, capturing the pleasures and anxieties of each generation superbly. There are men in the dialogue, but we never see them, of course; we only hear of their influence and impact.
Sue McCormick (Doris) is particularly good at the generation game, for with minimal costume changes she spans at least 70 years in her part. Her delightful Lancashire accent helps with the authenticity. Zara Ramm (Margaret) perfectly captures the confusing changes in expectations as women’s roles morphed over time, especially in her scenes with Jackie (the talented Jessica Guise). The dialogue between Doris and Margaret is acutely observed and delivered with deft timing and genuinely poignant moments.
The youngest member of the cast, Charlotte Croft (Rosie), who trained at the Oxford School of Drama, has the most straightforward part to portray, but she brings to it freshness and vitality, which suggest that she will be very successful in her career. She says this is “one of her favourite plays”, and you can see why it was voted as one of the century’s 100 greatest plays in a National Theatre poll. Although it is 30 years old, it is perhaps even more relevant now than when it was first written.
Unusually for a house of this size, the play is the Theatre’s own production, ably directed by the reliable John Terry, and with exceptional mood music composed by Harry Sever. The theatre is re-ordered into an intimate in-the-round studio, and the switch really works well, helping to give the show its immediacy and intimacy.
My Mother Said I Never Should continues at the Theatre in Chipping Norton until 11th March, and it’s well-worth making the short journey out to Chippy for this excellent play. If we had a star rating system, I would give it five out of five.