A Word For Mother at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Tim McArthur’s newest play A Word For Mother premieres this spring with an all-female cast and creative team. This simmering family drama, inspired by McArthur’s upbringing, revolves around the intertwined history of four women, sisterly relationships and motherly love. Reunited by their mother’s unexpected passing, the bond between three sisters begins to strain: emotions boil over and childhood lies are revealed. How far does the apple fall from the tree? Puppeteer, singer and star of screen and stage, Louise Gold, plays matriarch Pru in this exploration of family dynamics. Gold is best known for her West End career and performances in multiple Muppets’ productions. Further credits include The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix), Fiddler on the Roof (The Playhouse) and Botticelli in the Fire (Hampstead Theatre). Gold is joined by a powerful cast of Abigail Moore (Kiss Me Quickstep, New Vic Theatre; Honour, ITV), Heather Johnson (The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd, The Orange Tree Theatre; Horrible Christmas, Birmingham Stage Company), and Melaina Pecorini (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre; The Big Red Bath, UK tour) as the trio of sisters Charity, Faith and Hope. Having gathered in the kitchen of their family home after the passing of their mother, three grief-stricken daughters must learn to navigate a new family dynamic. The play unravels a family history, moving from the present day to complex childhoods. Each sister reflects on their own relationship with their mother as secrets, rivalries and hidden feelings come bubbling to the surface. Will the sisters’ bond survive the emerging emotions and unfolding tensions? Writer Tim McArthur is a local Highgate resident and performed in Upstairs at The Gatehouse’s first ever Christmas production in 1999. He comments, The play explores many emotions including forgiveness, but at the end of the day it’s a play with heart and a celebration of the female dynamic. I have asked myself what do I want people to take away from the play. I think for an audience to chat about grief as we don’t in this country. It’s still a taboo subject and yet when someone has a baby, we all go nuts for it. But if someone dies, we feel we all have to be sad, hide away and not express our emotions – that terrible British stiff upper lip scenario. A Word For Mother is produced by Helen and Paul Matthews