The reaction of the audience to Memory of Water very much depends on their own experiences of grief. Some will relate to the psychotic insecurities of the sisters, but others will view the shouting and screaming as a soap opera. The play centres on three sisters drinking, smoking and arguing in the fallout of their mother’s death, each with their own problems and memories.

The opening scene is strong - the mother, Vi (Liane Grant), establishes a promising dark atmosphere. Unfortunately, this is not preserved as very soon the stage is a battleground for seemingly pointless arguments and hysteria – the high levels of hormone and emotion after the death of the mother gives no rhythm to the play as the daughters take turns to moan and tell one another to shut up. Whilst this might be the effect wished for by Shelagh Stephenson, the playwright, it doesn’t make for a viewing that immediately grabs the audience. Nonetheless, dispersed in this hysteria are some sparks of comedy, delivered well by Gwenfair Hawkins. In the early stages of the play, there was little chemistry between the three sisters. Kiran Millwood-Hargrave, who played Mary, has a wealth of experience but it failed to show in the first half of the play with unconvincing drama school intonations stunting the chemistry between the characters.

The welcome introduction of Mike (Paul Adeyefa) helped to slow the pace down. His calming, assured influence gave the sisters an opportunity to stop arguing and to explore their relationships. Adeyefa gave a mature performance and dealt with the issue of vasectomy sensitively and tenderly. The relationship between Mike and Mary emphasised Catherine’s (Victoria Rigby) loneliness and desperation, which supported Rigby’s bold acting style. Still, the first half of the play never fully engaged the audience, as signified by their hesitation at clapping in what seemed an arbitrary interval.

Fortunately, the second half was a big improvement. The arrival of Frank (James Bloor) added to the humour, giving the audience a licence to laugh with his strange northern accent, which despite being clearly put on, was maintained well. The relationships between the characters also felt more sincere and developed, in moments of solidarity, especially between Teresa and Catherine. There were also some lovely reminders of our relationships with our own mothers and the way that we change our views of people once they are dead. The climax of the play between Mary and her mother’s ghost was the saving grace of the play with Millwood-Hargrave showing her talent in the display of her character’s emotion.

The production, which initially is frustrating for the audience, develops into a worthwhile watch with subtle humour and observations of grief. The characters all grew throughout the performance, producing moments of brilliance in deeply confused relationships.