Review: 13.1, Live Theatre

Sep 19 2009 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

SIMMERING sibling rivalry and resentment go hand- in-hand with a pair of hare ears and a tortoise shell in Mike Kenny’s 13.1.

The first piece of theatre to come from the Great North Run’s cultural programme focuses on the half marathon and sisters Alice and Diane.

The audience are offered deckchairs on the grass verges flanking the stage. To all intents and purposes, we’re sitting alongside the home straight in South Shields.

But thanks to the screens at either end of the stage – together with the on-the-spot running prowess of the actresses – the 50-minute play takes us from starting pistol to finish.

While Alice loves to run, Diane hates it... hence the hare and tortoise shell costumes.

Using a flashback technique, we’re given a window into the history of the siblings’ relationship and the mam they’re running for.

Alice has always liked to run. Mother-of-three, Diane resents her for that – especially since she was left to care for their mam when she had cancer. The sisters sweat out a list of home truths via a heart-warming script.

Sonia Beinroth (Alice) and Vicky Elliott (Diane) capture the sisters brilliantly, with Vicky displaying an in-built knack for comic timing.

And let’s not forget they do all this while completing an on-the-spot half-marathon. If I was them, I’d be hooking myself up with a pedometer... by the end of the play’s run on Thursday, they’ll have clocked up enough steps to spend a fortnight on the sofa.