“A boy is never a grown man to his mother.”
A mother’s love – from the self-sacrificing kind to the utterly toxic – has been the subject of many plays, books and films. Sidney Howard’s 1926 comedy-drama explores the latter type, his tale of maternal desperation a hit in the West End and on Broadway. The Finborough have now revived the play for its first London production since 1927. And it’s a zinger.
Set in a middle-class New England suburb in 1926, Mrs Phelps is a morass of emotional manipulation and gaslighting who wants her two grown-up sons to remain with her forever and to be the only important woman in their lives. She has crafted detailed plans for their futures and expects to have complete control over everything, including who they marry. David and Robert have other plans though. David, an architect, has travelled abroad and returned home married to the smart and well-educated Christina, a biologist with a upcoming research position at the Rockefeller Institute in New York. Younger brother Robert is engaged to Hester, a 20-year-old feisty and modern young woman who speaks her mind, much to Mrs Phelps disdain. While claiming that she dislikes mothers who don’t loosen the apron strings, Mrs Phelps abjectly refuses to allow her sons to direct their own lives, couching everything in a suffocating blanket of just how much they should love and respect their mother.
It’s a masterstroke to set the play in the round, Alex Marker’s design giving the production an intensity in the small space that the exceptional cast maintain throughout. Sophie Ward is outstanding as the apparently gentle nurturing mother, who quietly drops bombs into her sons’ relationships. Ward gives a nuanced and totally believable performance as the woman fuelled by fears of abandonment and loss of control. George Watkins is a forceful David Phelps, perfectly showing his conflict between his love for his mother and for his wife. Alix Dunmore’s Christina is a strong character, a modern woman breaking free from the constraints of previous generations’ view of a woman’s limited place in society. Jemma Carlton gives feisty Hester a youthful and naive charm. She loves Robert (played by Dario Coates) but quickly spots the flaws in his relationship with his mother. Coates shows beautifully the weakness and jealousy that fuel Robert’s relationship with his older brother, making him even more susceptible to his mother’s emotional manipulation.
Set, lighting and costume are all on point, with the set morphing from sitting room to bedroom with the clever design of a pull-down bed that is previously a wall unit.
Although The Silver Cord is now almost a century old, the story resonates through its recognisable characters. The times and mores may be from different centuries, but the dysfunctional relationships depicted are as relatable now as ever.
The Silver Cord plays at the Finborough Theatre, London, until 28th September. Tickets are on sale from: www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/the-silver-cord/
Reviewer: Carole Gordon
Reviewed: 5th September 2024
North West End UK Rating: