As the deviser, writer and performer of Local, Liz Richardson, takes the audience on a very personal trip into her own past. A forty something mum living in the Peak District, the announcement by her parents that they are putting the family home in West Cumbria up for sale, prompts a trip back and a reflection on who she was and how living there shaped her. Examining how it feels to be local and how it changes when you move away, Liz Richardson catches up with her old headmaster and a couple of friends to explore their thoughts and experiences as well.
Her arrival back at the family home and being back in her childhood bedroom with its view of the hills of the Lake District, triggers memories and emotions that are normally suppressed in the practicality of everyday life, but here are allowed free reign to carry the narrative of the play. Apart from the recorded voice of her ex head teacher, Richardson voices all the people in her anecdotal story. Her mum, who drops into an Irish accent despite not being Irish. Her dad singing too loudly at church. Her friends recounting how they felt about growing up in the area. Each has their own nuances but remain seen from Liz’s viewpoint. Her parents ageing is clearly a concern and there is a very emotional scene where she expresses how frightening it can be having to come to terms with the fact that one day your parents will no longer be here.
Towards the end, speaking about her daughter Eve, the family dynamic of mum and young daughter as opposed to mum and adult daughter emphasises how much life has moved on and how Liz now has her own life independent of her life in Cumbria. That while her past growing up in West Cumbria was important in the building of her life, it is her life now on the edge of the Peak District National Park which shapes what she does.
Deviser and Director Amy Hailwood makes sure that the play flows along at a steady pace, allowing the conversational nature of the writing to drive the speed and action. Lizzy Leech’s set is evocative of the childhood bedroom back in the mid-1990s and clever use of a video screen and images by TripledotMakers allow it to infer other places and journeys.
Local is Liz Richardson’s own experiences of living on the edges of the Lake District while not actually in it. It is an evocative, emotional and uplifting to watch. If you get the chance, it is well worth seeing.
Reviewer: Helen Jones
Reviewed 6th June 2025
North West End UK Rating: