Every cast-off tells a human story

May 26 2009 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

Charity shops and the stories behind their stock have provided the inspiration for a though-provoking one-woman show opening at Live Theatre. Sam Wonfor previews Hand-Me-Down.

“The show now comes in at one hour 10 minutes.”

But Steve admits it hasn’t been a total breeze.

“Although we knew the direction we wanted to take the play in, it’s still very difficult to revisit an established text ... but we got there.

“And what’s fantastic is that the piece has been selected to become part of a festival in Romania next month (The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, to be exact).

“So as soon as we finish at Live, we’ll be straight onto a plane.”

Apparently as we speak there’s a team of Romanian stage hands and engineers making a replica set in which Kate can take up residence ... although I’d be intrigued to see whether they manage to mimic all of her charity shop finds ... methinks she may have to take the mosquito net with her.

But back to the Live Theatre run.

It’s clear that a big part of the reworking of the show has been making use of the extra space which Live Theatre offers (although it is being performed in the more intimate confines of the Studio Theatre rather than the main one, currently playing host to Tim Healy in Alan Plater’s Looking For Buddy).

It’s also patently obvious that Steve is very proud of the way the show looks.

“The set really transforms during the show. It’s a very visual piece which is continually surprising. It’s ingeniously staged. The story begins in a local charity shop... and then we’re off all over the place. Africa, Glasgow, Greece ... a full wedding party. There’s lots in there.”

And he’s not just talking about the charity shop stock.

“It’s a very comic piece, but there are also darker moments. There are lots of layers and themes. Lots to think about.

“It’s trying to say some important things ... it’s a satirical look at charity and charitable giving ... and the issues surrounding celebrity involvement in charities.”

So there’ll be laughs, there will be a mosquito net and lots of things to think about. As I said earlier, sounds like a great night at the theatre.

Hand-Me-Down plays Live Theatre’s Studio Theatre from tonight until Saturday.

Call (0191) 232-1232.