I was lucky enough to be back at the Bush Theatre this week to see their latest offering ‘Miss Myrtle’s Garden.’ Written by Danny James King and directed by Taio Lawson, the show follows the eponymous Miss Myrtle as she, and the characters around her tend to her garden, and contend with the past. The play is more of an experience than a linear story, much like life itself, and makes for a moving, relatable, piece of theatre that takes time to examine the human conditions of love, loss and memory.
What is immediately striking is Joshua Gadsby’s lighting. Not only does it reflect the feelings of the characters, but simply works to show the passing of time, a core theme within the play. The lighting also lets the audience in, when it wants to, and at times blacks out, when Miss Myrtle herself does not want to remember something, or does not want to let us in. Khadija Raza’s titular garden is charming, and blooms and evolves as the characters do.
The slow burn first half introduces all characters with humour and depth, but as you may suspect, the main star is Diveen Henry’s Miss Myrtle. Acid tongued and quick witted, Henry crafts a character that subtly evolves over the course of the show, and one who is instantly relatable. We all know someone like Miss Myrtle, that older, female relative who speaks their mind when they want to, and turns you away when they do not want to look back. She claims: ‘I don’t visit the past. The past visits me.’ Initially, this comes in the form of her deceased husband ‘Melrose,’ played by Mensah Bediako. Despite his lack of dialogue, his presence, mainly due to his chemistry with Henry, makes for some incredibly moving moments between the two as Miss Myrtle remembers her husband. Her take on the past becomes more complex in the second half, as the audience learns that she has dementia, so whilst she claims the past visits her, it is also evaporating before her very eyes.
This puts her slightly at odds with grandson Rudy, (Michael Ahomka-Lindsay), who is keen to learn more about his father, and his past. As the child of an immigrant, there is a desire to learn about their life before, as it helps piece together where you came from, but those who made that journey are not always keen to retread that path, as Miss Myrtle proves.
Whilst grappling with this aspect of his identity, Rudy also struggles with his queerness and introduces secret boyfriend Jason (Elander Moore) as his friend… although Gary Lilburn’s Irish neighbour Eddie sees right through that. Rudy and Jason both present their queerness in different ways, but that does not detract from their validity, chemistry and the strength of their relationship. Their struggles to be themselves, and accept themselves, make for a highly relatable story about queer identity and self-acceptance. Nothing is too sensationalised, or grandiose, and the issue is treated with nuance and reverence, again reflecting life itself. Not everything is loud like soap opera.
I would say the play is like a snapshot. Like someone has rolled out Miss Myrtle’s timeline, taken a piece of it and placed it on stage. It works as a window into the changing lives of one family, and definitely deserves a second watch. It’s honest portrayal of an evolving family means that, for everyone watching, it is accessible, and there is something there that everyone can relate to.
4/5
Thanks for reading!
‘Miss Myrtle’s Garden’ is playing at the Bush theatre until July 12th!
Tickets: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/miss-myrtles-garden/#book
Photos by Camilla Greenwell
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