REVIEW: A BRIEF LIST OF EVERYONE WHO DIED by Jacob Marx Rice at Finborough Theatre 16 May – 10 June 2023

‘Definitely a weepy!’ ★★★★

Definitely a weepy! We follow the life of Gracie (Vivia Font) from age 5 to her death at 86, her loves and her losses, all starting with that most familiar of losses, the family pet. Along the way there are many other entrances and exits in her life. It would be a very hard nut who didn’t feel her emotion or perhaps delve into their own experiences with the process of death, at once recognisable and painful. 

What a darling, darling cast, most of them multi-rolling and all of them aging before our eyes, sometimes from little ones to maturity and frailty. Illness, depression, accidents and old age, every way to die just as it happens in our own lives (should we live so long).  To augment these moments, there is a clever lighting scheme involving a beautiful chandelier of bulbs which individually light up as people absent themselves from Gracie’s life. Other lights around the room bring a fierce glow and warmth to the playing area in the concluding scenes. 

The nature of the play left me wondering why I had volunteered to review this one and the real answer is because it’s at the Finborough (Pub Theatre of the Year 2022 awarded by London Pub Theatres Magazine). The standard is high and for anyone who enjoys theatrical skills, this show is a real treat.   Like so many Finborough shows over the years, it doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects but relishes great scripts and fine acting.

On a side note, we were promised ‘humour’, but the humour seemed incidental and uncomfortable, such as the mother turning up as her own great grandchild.  Actor Kathryn Akin took us on a journey as Gracie’s wise mother; we lived with her, loved with her and died with her. So, turning up as a little girl initially seemed so wrong that it was comic, but in no time at all, Akin had become that entrancing child and we were back living the history of this family. Humour would have been welcome but forcing it would be a mistake.  The performance is true to its content, thanks to director Alex Howarth’s sensitive treatment; better to keep the action moving and ensure plenty of visual interest.   

There are no jarring moments, a credit to the writer Jacob Marx Rice’s script which heaves with the most delightful bunch of characters one could ever meet. Perhaps the show is missing that extra bite of difficult relationships and the equally real pain of the knocks and blows, jealousies and spite that we all know so well. However, as an expression of the sorrow we feel on someone passing, this show has it covered.

Photos by Philm

A BRIEF LIST OF EVERYONE WHO DIED by Jacob Marx Rice at Finborough Theatre 16 May – 10 June 2023

Post-show discussions (free to ticketholders):

Saturday, 20 May 7.30pm, Saturday, 3 June 3.00pm, and Thursday, 8 June 7.30pm

BOX OFFICE https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/a-brief-list-of-everyone-who-died/

Production Team

Director ALEX HOWARTH

Set and Costume Design ALICE MCNICHOLAS

Lighting and Video Design RACHEL SAMPLEY

Producer AMELIA CAMPBELL

Assistant Director ANASTASIA BUNCE

Producer

Presented by Patch of Blue in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre.

Cast

KATHRYN AKIN

AMELIA CAMPBELL

ALEJANDRO DE MESA

VIVIA FONT

SIPHIWO MAHLENTLE

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatre Magazine