There's an age old rule in the world of theatre that if there are more people in the audience than there are on stage then it's time to throw in the towel and cancel the show. Lucky for me then and the few people who turned out for Mother / Son at Hampstead's dinky little New End Theatre that it is, in fact, a one man show.
The crowd may have been small, but the good news is that Jeffrey Solomon, the writer and performer of Mother / Son more than filled the space with an amazing, riveting and moving performance.
The piece is billed as semi-autobiographical and charts the complicated relationship between a man and his mother as she (and indeed he) comes to terms with his sexuality. Coming out is never the easiest thing to do, but throw religion into the mix and suddenly things can get even more fraught and emotional.
As you may have guessed from the name, Jeffrey Solomon is Jewish, and for a young Jewish boy whose mother is obsessed with marriage and family, revealing yourself as homosexual was never going to be easy.
As I’ve already mentioned, Mother / Son is a one man show, but it's not a monologue - Solomon actually acts the roles of both man and mother. This sounds like risky stuff and it take a few minutes to get past the shock of his first sudden leap from thirtysomething male to fiftysomething female.
Don't worry, there are no quick changes into frocks and dodgy wigs here, it's all done with voice and body language. Not a lot of people could carry this off, but Solomon is a great actor and portrays both characters with incredible insight and empathy. The stereotypical Jewish mother is often the butt of some good-natured comedy and this play is no different, but Solomon manages to move beyond that, offering two convincing portrayals that never fall into caricature.
Mother / Son is all pretty straightforward and simple stuff, but in many ways that is what make it such a powerful piece. The set is almost non existent, just a bed, some boxes, a chair and two telephones, so there's no gimmicks or trickery, just one man on a stage acting his socks off.
Most of the conversations take place over the telephone, revealing the constant toing and froing between the characters as they gradually learn more about themselves and each other, but Solomon consistently gets it spot on by concentrating on the little things - a pause there, a sigh here, it's all absolutely riveting. Hey, it may be a cliche, but there really are highs and lows, laughter and tears here - I noticed a number of audience members having a little wipe of the eyes during the closing few minutes and who can blame them - Mother / Son doesn't just pull on the heart strings, it positively yanks them with all its might.
The show has already been a big success on the other side of the Atlantic, with an Off-Broadway run and a national tour as well as award nominations, and Solomon has also been lauded for his TV work and other one-man performances. I thought he was fabulous, and I've been raving about this show all week to anyone that will listen.
It’s not often a play comes along that can have you laughing out loud one minute and sobbing the next, so take the opportunity to see this during its last couple of weeks at the New End, or perhaps during its short runs in Leeds and Brighton later in the summer- it really is great stuff.
Read our interview with Jeffrey Solomon.
Mother / Son, written and performed by Jeffrey Solomon
New End Theatre
27 New End
Hampstead
London, NW3 1JD
0870 033 2733 / www.newendtheatre.co.uk
Monday 16 June to Sunday 13 July 2008
SPECIAL TICKET OFFER: 2 for 1 @ £15
Please call ticket office 0870 033 2733 (quote 2 for 1 OFFER)
Want more? Then buy The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis, a Personal Biography online and save yourself some money to buy the DVD of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane and Now, Voyager. Alternatively, treat yourself with the Bette Davis 100th Birthday Box Set.