Sheridan, a devout Christian woman, has some urgent questions for God. Overwhelmed by grief since losing her husband, becoming the sole carer of her adult daughter and now the closure of her beloved church, she climbs the scaffolding to speak directly to Him. Her quiet moments outside the steeple she had funded through suspect financial avenues (a financial scheme her husband had begun before his untimely death) becomes her only reprieve. In her desperation to untangle the grip her world has around her neck, she asks God the questions that have been eating at her: Did her husband suffer when he died? Does her daughter love her even if she is unable to verbalize the words? Is He listening to her now, or has He ever?
The set is simple, but effective: a tower of metal scaffolding with wooden planks, and the audience’s proximity to the performer makes you feel as if you too are sitting in the church’s garden amongst its greenery and aging tombstones. Through Sheridan’s anecdotes, the quiet English village life is delicately woven, and, with the gentle care of Alice Carfrae’s delivery, you’re swept into a world entirely different to the bustling Edinburgh Fringe just outside the theatre door.
There are moments of humour laced into this deeply emotional narrative, making it feel even more human. I personally wish the writing had been tighter and felt there were many lulls in the dramatic action that made the play feel much slower and longer than it was. But Carfrae’s excellent portrayal of a woman finding her feet, and her faith again, after so much personal tragedy was deeply moving. It was a pleasant afternoon well spent, despite some of its difficulties with pace.
Scaffolding is on at Jack Dome, Pleasance Dome, from July 31 to August 26th at 17:40.
Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Pleasance Press Release