Review: A PASSIONATE WOMAN, Exeter Northcott

The complexities of the mother-son relationship are not easy to depict. The unwavering unconditional love and a mother's need to defend her boy against all foes can become creepily like the ancient Greek story of Oedipus if not handled correctly, and Kay Mellor's A Passionate Woman, which is currently touring the country, doesn't quite get it right.

Well known for her gritty northern television comedies like Fat Friends and Playing the Field, writer Mellor got the inspiration for this particular story after her own mother confessed to having an affair with a Polish neighbour.

The story follows Betty (Liza Goddard), who on the day of her son's wedding finds the thought of letting him go all a bit too much and so hides herself in the attic. It transpires that he is not the first love she has lost and that many years earlier, she had embarked on a passionate affair.

Craze, the former lover, appears as a memory ghost just as her adored son Mark (Anthony Eden) is set to start a new life with his bride. The thought of being left with bullish husband Donald (Russell Dixon), who she hasn't loved for many years, leads to a yearning to return to her youth as she reminisces about her passionate past.

Sadly, this production fails to live up to its title: passion is what's severely lacking. The gentle nature of Mellor's dialogue, not unlike that of Willy Russell's in Shirley Valentine, relies on familiarity and needs a powerful and engaging performance from the central character. Goddard doesn't ever seem wholly at ease with her lines and struggles to give enough emotional depth to Betty, which makes her connection to the audience ineffective.

Russell Dixon fails to truly portray the fact that Donald's brusque exterior is really hiding his loneliness, and the actor over-eggs his punchlines, while noisily pacing the stage.

It all feels a bit am dram in Act One, and Paul Milton's direction doesn't allow for the intensity of either the relationships or the more heartfelt monologues to be fully explored.

Anthony Eden tries his best to be more connected with his character and gives a strong performance as Mark, while Hasan Dixon adds some charming silliness, but it's Michael Holt's rooftop set that becomes the star of the show, when it revolves for a great slapstick scene in Act Two.

Everything feels a bit out of date, and without the passionate performances to carry the plot, this production falls flat.

A Passionate Woman at Exeter Northcott Theatre until 25 March

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