![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IMG_4356.jpg)
Show: A Typical Sister
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: Bridge House Theatre. Bridge House, 2 High Street, London SE20 8RZ
Credits: Written and presented by A Pound of Flesh Theatre Company
Type: Sardines
Author: Susan Elkin
Performance Date: 07/04/2022
A Typical Sister
Susan Elkin | 08 Apr 2022 23:28pm
I wish very much that I didn’t have to put a star rating on this show. It’s a deeply moving (I cried a lot) autobiographical account of growing up with two non-speaking autistic brothers. But as a piece of theatre it is pretty average.
Molly Parker (she cries a lot too) tells her own story herself in a near-monologue, accompanied by four skilled musicians amongst whom Gez Downing really stands out for his versatility and cello playing. They all appear to be in a comfy living room with sofa, Pringles, wine, books and sofa – gently jamming folksy numbers beneath and between Parker’s speeches which range from sardonic and slightly angry to tearful and loving. And sometimes, in this piece devised and written from the heart, she sees the humour in a remembered situation such as Max, the elder of her two brothers, disappearing and then being found in an elderly neighbour’s kitchen scoffing her digestive biscuits uninvited.
From what is, effectively, a powerful, naturalistic documentary we learn a lot about the reality of autism. There’s quite a bit of family video showing the children when they were small, projected onto the back wall of the space. Parker’s high-speed account of getting the boys off to school in the morning is hilarious as is the tale of the bathtime routine. We realise what patience and love it takes to bring such children up – when they can’t explain their feelings or needs – and I, for one, came away with huge respect for Parker’s parents. And I liked the readings, shared by all five performers, from Mrs Parker’s pandemic blog at the end. Max and Josh are now twenty-two and eighteen. Their sister, who teaches voice in drama schools, is older. It’s very much a family story.
For all that – and despite valiant efforts to make it pacey – it’s a static piece. However strong her story, it is a challenge to make one woman talking – with songs – into a dynamic show and the production doesn’t quite meet that challenge.
Originally called “Jigsaw”, the name of this show was changed because the company recognised that the jigsaw piece metaphor is no longer recognised as accurate by the autistic community.