Angela review – Mark Ravenhill’s tale of dance and dementia

Available online
The playwright takes us inside the mind of his late mother in a poignant audio play that dramatises her shifting sense of self

Anyone who has observed dementia at close quarters is likely to recognise the unspoken pain contained in Mark Ravenhill’s autobiographical audio drama about his late mother’s Alzheimer’s. But rather than showing us the effects of Angela’s dementia on himself and his father, Ted, the playwright gives primacy to her inner voice and confusions, building a rich subjectivity despite the accompanying sadness.

This play is the first in a series for Sound Stage, an audio-digital theatre platform created by the Royal Lyceum theatre and Pitlochry Festival theatre that aims to give its audience the online experience of going to the theatre (with an interval and after-show discussions). Understated and melancholic, it has none of the brazenness of Ravenhill’s past work.

Related: Playwright Mark Ravenhill: why I took up ballet after my mum died

Angela is available online 26-28 March and 1-2 April.

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Category: Dementia | Mental Health