An absent father, an abusive husband, the cause of a lost love, all rolled into one man in Richard Cameron’s Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down. This week’s Corpus mainshow sees Marjam Idriss direct a story told through increasingly engaging yet tragic monologues about the effect a man called Royce has on three women. The monologue format makes for a slow start which was initially hard to follow but, more importantly, it soon became one of the most powerful plays I have ever enjoyed in Cambridge.

This was primarily a play of four characters, but with one of them never heard or appearing on stage. It therefore falls to the other three to pick up the slack and bring life to a whole new, unseen, character as well as their own. This is no easy task, given the considerable role the man out of sight plays in their lives. However, these three actors did more than show the presence of an extra character – they gave a performance I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Lili Thomas, as Lynette, was outstanding, showing her character’s spirit slowly worn down with each passing sentence. Hers was also the most theatrically demanding character, who on two occasions even interacts with her unseen husband, to incredible effect. Her accounts of her husband’s drunken abuse were breathtaking; visibly shaking as she recounted the tale, on the verge of tears. At one point I had to take a moment to remind myself it hadn’t really happened.

Ruby, played by Jesse Haughton-Shaw, was the second woman scorned introduced to us, the teen love-interest of the then 18-year-old Royce. Ruby is unique in that she not only worries about Royce’s impact in her life for herself, but also for her child. Haughton-Shaw flips brilliantly between confused heartache over her former lover and motherly protection and in her opening monologues gives a despondent tale of teenage issues involving peer-pressure and unexpected pregnancy, setting up her character’s eventual outlook on life perfectly.

The final, and youngest, victim was Jodie, played by Chloe France. When we first see her she is only 10 years old and as such France brings out the simple life and child-like wonder of her character without fault. She only truly comes into her own, however, when things start to go wrong. She gives a passionate portrayal of a tragedy at such a young age and it is clear when we see her older self how it affected her. All three actors excel at carrying the weight of their characters’ pasts through the play and make for gripping viewing.

The fantastic performances were supported by a superb technical team: the direction was excellent; the set design was innovative; and the lights and sound were almost perfect. This is a must-see play if ever there was one.