Review: RUN SISTER RUN, Crucible Studio, Sheffield

Run Sister Run, a new play by Chloe Moss, focuses on the relationship between two sisters, Connie (Lucy Ellinson) and Ursula (Helena Lymbery), over the course of four decades. It is told mostly in reverse, as we meet them in their fifties and follow their journey back to adolescence.

The four-strong cast (including Lucas Button as Connie's son, Jack, and Silas Carson as her husband, Adrian) bring a real energy to the piece. As the central character, Ellinson is rarely off stage and she gives a believable portrait of a woman who is flawed and frustrated, yet very relatable.

Rosie Elnile's set design is a triumph - glass cases exhibit an array of props from different eras of the sisters' lives, a museum through which we access the different memories. Charlotte Bennett's direction keeps things pacy and gripping (it's a one-act play of 90 minutes).

Moss's dialogue is a real highlight of the show - very real, sometimes very raw and often very funny. The storyline itself is a little underdeveloped in places - particularly in relation to the male characters, who aren't especially fleshed out - and there's a reliance in places on well-worn tropes (the more responsible sibling trying to cope with the 'off-the-rails' sibling, for instance). I found the scenes with the sisters in their forties and fifties the most affecting and well-developed in this respect.

Despite these quibbles, the show is full of heart and vigour, and the audience were gripped throughout.

Run Sister Run is a joint production between Sheffield Theatres, Paines Plough and Soho Theatre. It is at Sheffield Crucible Studio until 21 March and will move to Soho Theatre from 25 March-2 May

Photo by The Other Richard.

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