Review: LUCY LIGHT, VAULT Festival

Lucy and Jess have just finished their GCSEs. They feel like their lives are about to start between a swig of Chardonnay in Jess' bedroom and the promise of having the best time ever at a party. Except that Lucy's mum is being treated for breast cancer and she's definitely not having a good time.

Six years pass and the duo are still best friends and Lucy has to take a life-changing decision. Her mum didn't survive cancer and she's found out she's inherited the mutated BRCA1 gene, which is making her consider having a preventive double mastectomy. Sarah Milton's revised version of Lucy Light lands at VAULT Festival in benefit of the Eve Appeal after a previous run at Theatre N16 in 2017 .

The comedy tackles the link between femininity and the illness, focusing on the weight of womanhood and the inherent value placed by society on the rejection of these elements. Milton delivers a poignant story creating a strong, believable friendship here portrayed by Emmy Rose (Lucy) and Amy Clark (Jess).

A special chemistry sparks between the two actors and from dancing to Atomic Kitten in their school uniforms to showing their support during the more somber moments, their performances are unyielding. They balance the more hefty scientific parts of Milton's script with a tongue-in-cheek attitude to create a well-rounded dynamic.

Lucy's efficient and practical approach to the matter sits at the opposite end of Jess' affected view of her friend's journey. Rose lets her character's pragmatism show a sense of confinement set by social pressure and expectations while Clark is forward in projecting the anxieties that come with being a woman. The latter's world cracks slightly when she is advised to take another precautionary smear test after the first one resulted abnormal.

Lauren Dickson's direction fluctuates between points of energy and other, more quiet junctures where she allows the characters to come down from their high and face the core issue of the play fully. Milton writes sharp roles that flourish within her heartwarming and honest tale of the struggles of a life lived in the shadow of cancer.

Lucy Light runs at VAULT Festival until 17 March.

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