Tapped by Katie Redford is a unique story following a mother, daughter and a local friend turned motivational speaker. Gavi’s (Max Hastings) goal is to start a group which encourages people to achieve their dream in 6 weeks, but that may be harder to achieve due to no one showing up except for a mother and daughter duo (Jennifer Daley and Olivia Sweeney) who have a growing frustration buried by years of misunderstandings. This trio work together, surpassing barriers of the mind and forcing positive thinking until it works but inevitably it doesn’t work, and the fall seems harder.
This story is a heartfelt piece showing the depth of mental health in small towns full of people with much bigger dreams and how unforgiving parenthood can seem when struggling with the expectations of being a happy mother.
I have a lot of sympathy for these characters, being from a small town it seems like the majority of people seek an escape and spend their lives planning one to sustain a desire for purpose. Speaking about mental health openly without judgement has only graced us in the last few years but only to select group, there is still a lot of judgement and for Gavi we see a person burying the idea of being vulnerable and believing there is a goal to achieve and with that comes ultimate happiness. His fall is devastating for Dawn and Jen and really places a perspective for what kind of goals are achievable and important to reach towards as well as our dreams.
This performance was hilarious and painful, a really beautiful telling of an odd mix of people who live out mundane lives in a village and yet the most interesting, vulnerable group of people I’ve seen on stage for a while. These actors were absolutely brilliant and did so much justice to this story, really fantastic work.
A devastating, fantastic play with a touch of paranormal.
Playing until the 23rd April, https://theatre503.com/whats-on/tapped/
Reviewer: Alice Rose
Reviewed: 13th April 2022
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★