Sheffield Theatre’s latest production ‘Living’ is the ambitious brainchild of local playwright Leo Butler, chronicling the life of a young family who move into the Burngreave suburb of the city and how politics shapes their lifestyle, relationships livelihoods and belief systems. It’s unflinching and bold, and this is a production long to live in the memory of those fortunate to see it.
Sarah Beaton’s set design is simple yet formidable. There’s an impermanent quality to the wooden furnishing of the space that evokes the required domesticity needed for the play to operate within as well as a timeless quality that permits jumping between decades. Projection is used to establish time as well as more dynamic functions which are used with a careful consideration for their artistic merit and not deployed for novelty. The costumes are great, with each outfit delicately not only establishing the era but reinforcing the concept of clothes as a form of expression for characters. This change is particularly noticeable in the younger characters as they mature.
What really sets this play above many others is the incredible standards of its cast. The roles are exceptionally demanding and can essentially be dissected into each actor portraying at least three different characters, across different ages and with different personalities. Liz White’s performance as Cathy is stratospheric. The performed regression of her faculties as she ages is something we experience in illusionary real-time and its effects are harrowing. White possesses a precision and nuance that is colossal. Equally warranting high praise is Abby Vicky-Russell, who ambles fantastically as a messy young Rebecca before maturing into the forthright socially conscious globe-trotting adult she becomes. In particular, Vicky-Russell’s depiction of her character’s childhood, teenage and young adult years are most compelling. There is a rawness, vulnerability and incredible focus deployed which is inescapably arresting. The same can be said for Samuel Creasey’s Mike, who is cohesively a figure of endearment, empathy and horror. Creasey delivers a sobering portrayal of lost innocence.
Leo Butler’s script is bold and bursting with wit and political diatribes. This is clearly a state of the nation play with the themes of family and time orbiting with explicit presence. That said, sometime’s Butler is guilty of over-indulging the political edge of the work. Topical exposition of the era is frequent takes precedence over more character-driven dialogue, and it results in a bit of clumsy scene-setting in which we are over-reminded of the political landscape of the time. There is namedropping that feels unnatural, and conversations set up that feel unbelievable and designed to simply nudge the audience and go ‘remember, this was when X happened’.
Similarly, whilst Abigail Graham’s direction is competent, there is a pacing question which Butler’s script compounds. Where transitions are mostly slick and enveloped within the next scene to often humorous effect, there is a motor-like momentum that does not halt until well into the second act. Whilst it works for the most part, it becomes exhausting and begins to stray from the story of the characters as the function appears to focus on covering the macro shifting of the political landscape. Graham’s capabilities are demonstrated to complimentary effect still, as we see towards the play’s climax. There is a superb tonal recognition and execution which conjure up moments that move and shake us.
This play does the really difficult really well, but its formal conceit is a tricky one to pull off flawlessly. It is less a story than an experience – a collection of vignettes, fragments of time and life gone by. The extensive time we spend with these characters helps establish our closeness with them and incubates the bond we form through their familiar events, quirks and experiences. It’s a compelling argument for the long run time. That said, this play is unapologetically patient. It works on one hand, and on the other it makes for laborious scenes that don’t embellish much of our understanding or connection to the characters and the events of their lives. Butler’s aspirational text covers so much, and tries to do so much, that it completely avoids any singular controlling idea. It’s a political piece. It’s a family tale. It’s a health play. It even dances between genres. It’s kitchen sink. It’s observational comedy. It’s tragedy. It’s almost melodrama at times. This resistance to being singularly typified is admirable but there are still some slight knots in this piece.
Considering these criticisms, it’s important to look at the context – that this is a highly ambitious work that for the most part is excellent in nearly every department. ‘Living’ is a life play that is an invigorating watch. Running until Saturday 4th April, tickets can be found here:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/living/dates
Reviewer: Louis Thompson
Reviewed: 19th March 2026
North West End UK Rating:
Two women meet unexpectedly in the lobby bar of a small hotel in Bayswater at…
Who needs to know Jane Austen's works to perform them? Certainly not Trevor (Kyle Jensen)…
Ruth is a powerful musical based on the life of Ruth Ellis, who in 1955…
The Ladykillers, based on the 1955 film, is a kitchen-sink meets gangster comedy play written…
Dominic Hill’s revival of Waiting for Godot, seen here at Everyman Theatre, reminds you why…
For a Welsh theatre marking its 50th anniversary, Under Milk Wood is both an obvious…