Giffnock Theatre Players take to the stage with January production of “The Memory Of Water”

The dark comedy written by Shelagh Stephenson will be staged at Eastwood Park Theatre from Wednesday, January 22 until Saturday, January 25 at 7.30pm, with an additional matinee performance at 2.30pm on the Saturday.

Company member David Pearson explained the play’s background.

He said: “The play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2000. The title refers to a concept of homeopathy which believes that water is able to preserve memories by absorbing particles of them.

“The central characters are three very different sisters - Teresa, Mary and Catherine - who are preparing for the funeral of their mother, Vi. Each sister deals differently with their mother’s death and it’s impact.

But that’s not all that’s different! - their memories of their mother and their recollections of their shared past experiences are different too, which causes friction amongst them. Most of us can identify with a situation like this, and that is part of the reason why this play, despite its subject matter, is so funny.

“Another difference between the three women is their relationships – with each other, with themselves, with their mother, and with the men in their lives. The eldest sister Teresa looked after Vi when she was ill, and is feeling resentful of her siblings. She and her husband Frank are, on paper, “perfectly suited” and run a homeopathic business together, but he is deeply unhappy meaning the marriage is far from perfect. Middle-child Mary is a doctor who has been having a long-term affair with a married man who happens to be a TV celebrity. Throughout the play she has interactions with her mother’s ghost which she finds unsettling in various ways.

The youngest sister Catherine is somewhat self-obsessed and unstable, bouncing between drink, drugs and one-night stands. She tells her sisters her current lover is on the verge of proposing, but it becomes clear that’s far from true.”

David continued: “In this play, sadness and hilarity are intertwined – just as they can be in real life. And perhaps it is this poignancy that makes this drama such a fond favourite of so many, and why we are so sure our audiences will love it. It’s very different from our very well-received October production of The Matchmaker, the American farce on which Hello Dolly was based. But then GTP have always sought to offer up a varied programme of plays each season”.

Tickets cost £15/£13 (+ booking fee) and can be obtained from Giffnock Theatre Players by phoning 07518201756 or by emailing [email protected].

Alternatively contact Eastwood Park Theatre Box Office at www.eastwoodparktheatre.co.uk/box office.