Written by Eliza Brown and directed by Toby Bruton, Hand Me Downs is an exploration of family, identity, and grief, captured through the lens of formerly estranged siblings, Harriet and George, aka Worm and Stinkbug.
Years on from their parents’ divorce, where George moved to Glasgow with their more conservative father and Harriet remained in the South of England with their progressive mother, the two siblings find themselves cohabiting in George’s London flat. The talented Eliza Brown and Fraser Houston carry an amusing dynamic as the two siblings, navigating living together as adults, with George working as a carer and carefree Harriet finding herself entangled in a climate activism group.
While Brown and Houston’s acting was great, the story did not grip me, and it took a while to flesh out the various layers of the story: their grief, unconventional upbringing, dysfunctional relationships with their parents, and identity. By the end of the play, a couple of these themes remained unresolved.
I was not entirely sure which direction the play would take, which can sometimes work quite well, but in this instance it only left me feeling a little disengaged. I sense that the overarching theme of this play is grief, but I feel it would work better for this theme to be more pronounced throughout, with its impact better conveyed. Though Brown’s writing is thoughtful and witty, some of the dialogue could easily be taken out or cut down to make the story snappier and ensure we are led to the heart of the play earlier.
The portrayal of these two estranged siblings was somewhat convincing, but it felt a little lukewarm at times, particularly with Harriet. It was only towards the end of the performance that Brown’s acting range was displayed during an emotional outburst, something I would have liked to have seen more of earlier.
Houston delivers a convincing performance from start to finish, perhaps because of the greater emotional range of his character. Nonetheless, this is a play that is peppered with humour, tender moments and British culture references that make it feel warm and full of heart.
For two actors early on in their theatre careers, this was an admirable performance, and I very much appreciated the excellent ’80s soundtrack that accompanied the transitioning scenes. I will now be listening to the Best of the ’80s on repeat on Spotify all weekend!
Listings and ticket information can be found here
