one4review | On 10, Aug 2023

Emma Wilkinson Wright stars in this very entertaining adaptation of Gail Louw’s play, The Mitfords. The play deals with the lives of four of the sisters – Unity, Jessica, Diana and Nancy – and the action covers the most notorious period of the sisters’ lives. Unity is in Germany and obsessed with Hitler, Jessica is a fervent Communist and flees to war torn Spain to be with her cousin and eventual husband Esmond, Diana falls in love with the fascist Sir Oswald Mosley and abandons her husband and children, and Nancy sardonically dips in and out of their lives, sympathising with the political right, and then the left, while enduring a sham marriage.

Emma takes on the role of all four sisters with aplomb. Her portrayal of Unity is especially affecting, making the audience sympathetic towards a woman whose obsession with Hitler consumed her. This portrayal helps us understand why Jessica still loved her sister, despite the rampantly different belief systems, although the relationship would suffer in the end. Her portrayal of Diana is also fantastic, making her as unsympathetic as you can imagine she was – but also breaking through her steely veneer to show a more vulnerable side.

Through tone and gesture, Emma moves between the role of each sister seamlessly. The Mitford sisters’ story is a rich source of material, and this snapshot of their lives is an entertaining and informative 50 minutes of theatre. Highly recommended.

****

Reviewed by Rona
Haldane Theatre – Space@Surgeon’s Hall

6.40pm (50mins)

Until 19th August (Not 13th)