After one whole year, yes you read that right, of the Orange Tree Theatre being closed due to the pandemic they have re-opened with a pool of new plays, written by a handful of fairly new writers, pooled into two different nights; Inside/Outside. The show I watched was ‘Inside’. Three different plays revolved around the stories of the elderly women and the things they have encountered during a pandemic.
The first show was ‘Guidesky And I’ by Deborah Bruce, a one-woman show, that highlights the loneliness of an elderly woman and her connection to a scammer online.
Samantha Spiro manages to keep the pace of the show inviting me into the characters personal life, as we watch the daily conversations we all have with ourselves when we imagine no-one is watching us.
Secondly was ‘When The Daffodils’ by Joel Tan a story that follows Two women, one elderly and the other a social/care worker from different generations spending a not so wholesome Christmas evening together. The Relationship between the two resembles that of grandmother and granddaughter, but with an element of awkwardness in the air between them. With this performance, I preferred when the script talked about the pandemic as I found the dialogue between the two falling flat and disengaging. 
Finally, the last show was ‘Ursa Major’ by Joe White. An encounter between a homeless woman and a man on the street that leads back to his house for a hot meal. This one was my favourite piece of the night. I loved the comical timing embedded in the script and demonstrated by both actors, especially the dry humour of Sasha Winslow. With his OCD, awkward characterisation and her relaxed, laidback attitude the relationship is one that shouldn’t work but blossoms into something honest, raw and beautiful.Overall we are taken on a journey through the pandemic and how it has affected the elderly in ways we as a younger generation can’t imagine. An insightful season of plays that make me look forward to the next bunch with ‘Outside’.
Review by Corey Mitchell
Rating: ★★★
Seat: Online | Price of Ticket: £10 - £32
