I am so unbelievably lucky to be able to say that by the end of this trip, (which is coming so soon and I’m very sad about it) I will have seen 25 shows. I have seen everything from immersive musicals like the recent revival of Cabaret, to big smashing spectacles like Wicked and The Great Gatsby, to smaller shows, Fringe Shows, as they are called. I have been lucky enough to get to get to see three Fringe Shows. I saw The Mad Ones at The Other Palace Theatre, This Is My Family at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, and most recently, Miss Myrtle’s Garden at Bush Theatre. For this post, I would like to, if you’ll let me, take a moment about just how much of an impact Miss Myrtle’s Garden had on me as an artist and as a human being.
Miss Myrtle’s Garden is a play written by Danny James King and directed by Taio Lawson currently running at the Bush Theatre. The play follows Miss Myrtle, an old woman living with Dementia. When her grandson needs a place to stay, she offers up her place and he and his boyfriend move into Miss Myrtle’s house. However, Miss Myrtle’s grandson Rudy is not out to his grandmother, and therefore his relationship must remain closeted within the walls of the home. This of course causes tension with Rudy’s relationship to his boyfriend, as well as puts strain on his relationship with his grandmother, as he struggles to come out to her as she is rapidly declining.
I know, it sounds like a super uplifting way to spend a Saturday night. But please believe me when I say, it was maybe one of my favorite things I have seen on this trip. The show was set in the round, and so all of the audience members were faced toward each other with the entirety of the play taking place in the middle. I thought that the pacing of the show was extremely well executed. Yes, the show was 140 minutes, but it truly felt like 30 at the most. The quick-witted humor of Miss Myrtle, paired with the intense, high stakes scenes between the other characters -made for a riveting and thought provoking masterpiece.
Diveen Henry did an incredible job playing Miss Myrtle. Henry’s slow decline throughout the show was incredibly heart breaking to watch and Henry had me on the edge of my seat the entire show. The chemistry between Rudy (played by Michael Ahomka-Lindsay) and his boyfriend, Jason (played by Elander Moore) was absolutely astounding. I rooted for them, I cried for them, and then rooted for them again.
I think the directorial composition of the piece (meaning how the actors moved in the space) was so beautifully crafted. I have really only had experience in Thrust and Proscenium stages, so getting to see a show truly in the round was an eye-opening experience for me. I was appalled by how moved I could be in scenes where at times I could only see one of the actors in the scene.
The set design also stood out to me as a strong point. The ceiling of the set was this glowing, orb…thing that would blend different colors together, but would also give us the time of day. The element used different colors to indicate the sunrise, sunset, or midafternoon. The floor of the set was a patch of turf that served as Miss Myrtle’s Garden. There were beautiful plants that got swapped out at the interval to indicate the changing of the seasons. These plants went from beautiful evergreens to vibrant annuals. The world building in this play was simply masterful and I am so grateful I got to witness this show.
This show was a world premiere production, and I certainly hope that this is not the last time that I am hearing about Miss Myrtle’s Garden because this production was simply nothing short of wonderful.
-R
Theatre in London U of A 