Sweet Mother
Sweet Mother was the latest show to be performed as part of the Liverpool Theatre Festival. In a contrast to most of the other productions being held as part of LTF 2020, this was a drama with a real serious tone, looking back at a turbulent period in the history of Liverpool as a city. It is produced by Nwoko Arts and written by Maria Paul.
Synopsis
Sweet Mother focuses primarily on three white women: Josie (Amanda George-Higgins), Vera (Margaret Connell) and Joan (Lisa Symonds). Set between the 1960s and the 1980s, the tale concerned how they each married foreigners of colour at a time when racial prejudice was still prevalent within the United Kingdom. They had met the men within the diverse Toxteth community of L8, though being moved to Kirkby made them quickly realise that they wished they had been back in Toxteth.
Not least because the persecution of foreigners was unfortunately still a massive problem for the city, and one that it struggled to contain with a moral fibre. The abuse of not only black people but also white people “caught” speaking to or bonding with black people was shocking for the time, and remains so when looking back today. In response, the black community would fight back quite literally, hence the racial unrest that was turning Liverpool into a hotspot for violence and near-segregation. The heavy-handed and highly questionable methods used by the police to handle all of this, in particular their treatment of black people, led to the Toxteth Riots of 1981, which was covered by the story. In the middle of all this, though, we had the aforementioned three mothers, who just wanted people to accept their partners for their positive qualities, having already done so themselves.
Analysis
The show is very well-written and oftentimes close to the bone, yet it’s a part of Liverpool’s history that has to be acknowledged, especially to those who view the 1960s and 1970s as a golden period, partly due to the success that the city garnered when it came to music and sport. The grim reality for so many local people was very different, and this show emphasised those issues. Some of the scenes were hard to watch, but they sadly act as a reflection of true events (especially since the structure of the plot stemmed from actual interviews conducted with women who lived and breathed this period).
Amanda, Margaret and Lisa were all excellent in their roles, being both believable and sympathetic. It may be hard for some to fathom nowadays, but inter-racial relationships were frowned upon to a concerning extent just a couple of decades ago. It was so common as to seem normal, when we now look back and wonder what they could have possibly been thinking. Those who bucked that trend proved to be strong and progressive, and that came across brilliantly through the characters of Josie, Vera and Joan. And while the topics covered were often strong and very dramatic, there was still a chance for the authentic and well-renowned Scouse humour to be found, allowing for some light-hearted moments amidst the chaos engulfing the city.
Summary
Sweet Mother is extremely well-plotted and spectacularly-performed. It will be a real eye-opener to younger audiences, and a reminder of how far we have come to those who experienced that time for themselves. The show concluded with a Q&A, which included the news that Sweet Mother will go on tour post-pandemic. I, for one, would recommend that anyone reading this review, especially those with a keen interest in Liverpool’s history, should attend Sweet Mother once it does hit established theatres.
