Review: Mother There Art Thou (Etcetera Theatre)

Review by Molly Gulvin

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Walking through the streets of Camden, made even busier by the Halloween goings-on, it's hard to believe that just along the road a much darker tale is being spun - but that's exactly what's happening at the Etcetera Theatre. Mother There Art Thou is a tale of abuse, fear and the friendships that get people through them. This play proves itself to be conceptually strong - but would its execution meet the same standards? 

Mother There Art Thou explores the lives of Charlie and Murphy, two sisters who have grown up in a cult-like abusive household under their mother’s care. Having been bound by “The Rules”, created by their mother to ensure their obedience, the girls see the world in two very different (if slim) ways. Charlie is terrified of breaking a Rule, going so far as to create chains of tangential logic to ensure that all of her actions are satisfactory; Murphy, on the other hand, has started to question her life, the role of the Rules, and the truth behind what her mother has told her. When their mother dies, the girls are forced to confront the frightening reality they face: do the rules still apply when the enforcer is no longer here? 

As previously mentioned, the concept for this play is strong, and is generally realised well by Thomas Kirby. His writing encapsulates the fear and darkness of the situation well, with a clear emphasis on the long-standing impact that this abusive situation would likely have. Furthermore, Charlie and Murphy have been written to be sharply distinct as characters, and this is evident in their every word. It can, however, be hard to tell how old Charlie and Murphy are supposed to be: there are moments that their speech patterns appear to be rather childlike, and other times that the writing is so verbose it feels impossible that a child could be saying it. Whilst this could be due to the situation that they are in, the overall impact is slightly disconcerting and leads to a slight separation between the play and the audience. 

Olivia Cole directs this production, and does so fairly successfully. It is clear that the narrative has been prioritised in her direction, leading to an overall performance that is clean and easy to follow. She further ensures that the relationship between Charlie and Murphy has been well-established, with their friendship and comfort cutting through the harsher themes of the play smoothly. However, Cole is also unafraid to let the story unfold naturally when necessary, leading to a production that feels raw and emotive in nature. Her direction is measured and appropriate for the production, and allows it to shine at every moment possible.

Both Rachel Sarah Wirz (Charlie) and Abigail Dawn (Murphy) use this production to demonstrate their skills, delivering the material with thought and care behind their every action. Wirz provides a convincing performance, using Charlie’s naive and trusting nature to her advantage in creating development for the character. This is particularly visible in the opening of the play, where Wirz demonstrates a wonderful ability to develop and evolve her character without external stimuli to support her. However, there are moments where Charlie’s naivety is overplayed somewhat, leading to humorously dramatic moments that don't seem to fit with the production’s general flow. Dawn is a fantastic Murphy, and shines throughout the play, particularly in a monologue towards the end that is heartfelt and sincere in its delivery. She demonstrates a flexibility to Murphy that is vital to the character's likeability: between her obvious, yet controlled, anger at her mother and the life she has been forced to live and her care and protection of Charlie, Dawn delivers the dimensionality that the script requires of Murphy with ease. 

In terms of creative design, headed by Lottie Read, this production is quite sparse. The set itself consists of a cardboard door, on which a list of rules taped, an airer with a bedsheet and blanket placed on it (used for creating a den later in the play) and Mother - a puppet provided by Shakespeare Reloaded e.V. - sitting on a chair with empty packets of pills scattered around her. There is no doubt that this scarce design is at least in part due to time and financial constraints, but the elements provided are all perfectly functional for the piece in its current form. Similarly, the lighting and sound designs are minimal but mostly serve to enhance the performance: in particular, the use of lighting helps to create a claustrophobic atmosphere when the girls are discussing their time in the Cupboard, a punishment method used by their mother. There is only one moment where the sound design fails to meet expectations, which is where a booming sound is used for emphasis; unfortunately, it overdramatises the situation, undermining the point it is actually intending to emphasise. It would be amazing to see this creative design continue to expand, in order to allow audiences to further immerse themselves into the onstage events. 

It is clear that Mother There Art Thou is a play that has been developed with care in every aspect, and it is mostly successful in delivering the envisioned production. With a strong concept, direction and performances, there is a lot about its current iteration that should be praised. With further development, it is clear that this play could shine from start to finish - after all, much of its content already does. 

Mother There Art Thou played at the Etcetera Theatre on 30th October 2026. 

For more information visit https://www.etceteratheatrecamden.com/events/mother-there-art-thou 

Photos by Juliet Mann