Review: Hushabye Mountain, filmed at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

Source: Hope Mill Theatre (@hopemilltheatre) • Instagram photos and videos

Going from the amazing concert last week, we are going to slow things down a bit, with a piece that is a lot more serious. And Northern. 

First performed in Crewe in 1999, Jonathan Harvey's Hushabye Mountain follows a young Scouse lad named Danny, who does from HIV Aids. It then goes into two threads: one of the friends and family Danny left behind trying to move forward from his death; while the other is with Danny in the afterlife waiting to pass on and getting advice from none other than Judy Garland. 

This production has been directed Nick Bagnall, and performed at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre. 

As you can imagine, this one is a bit of a hard-hitter. And it is not for kids either. It ultimately is a discussion of grief, life with AIDS and also discusses topics such as mental illness. As the play goes on, you begin to wonder whether the scenes in the afterlife with Danny are really happening: or is it really a figment of his mother Beryl's imagination, who now finds herself in a mental hospital and has huge regrets concerning her relationship with her son. 

Source: Hope Mill Theatre (@hopemilltheatre) • Instagram photos and videos

Being named after a famous lullaby (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's Hushabye Mountain), it seems natural for lullabies to be a theme throughout the story too. From the titlular number, to references of Pachabel's Canon and Mary Poppins' Feed The Birds, it really brought the phase of consciousness and unconsciousness, or the haze of drink and drugs. As said in the play "Sometimes the world feels better through a haze of drug and drink"

Or for Harry Potter fans, Harry's conversation with his loved ones through the Resurrection Stone: 

Harry: Does it hurt? 

Sirius: What, dying? Not at all, Quicker and easier than falling asleep

Jai Morjaria's lighting design adds to this aesthetic too, using mostly a mixture of blues and purples. Blue means calmness, peace and depression; whereas purple is used for spirituality, mystery and emotion. 

Sorry, I am getting rather analytical aren't I? 

Source: Hope Mill Theatre (@hopemilltheatre) • Instagram photos and videos

Onto this company, and it features Olivier winner Matt Henry as Lee, one of my favourites Jodie Prenger as Beryl, and Layton Williams as Connor, Danny's boyfriend at the time of his death. 

Williams has said this is one of, if not the hardest roles he has ever played, and if that's the case, it certainly did not show. To say that Connor has a few issues he needs to iron out is a bit of an understatement, and Williams played it with utter grace and sensitivity. 

As well as the three you may know, the other three in this small company should also be heralded: Harrison Scott-Smith as Ben, Amy Dunn as Lana and especially Nathan McMullen as Danny himself. 

I would definitely think this is a recommendation from me, but it is a hard watch - which is one of the reasons it has taken me a while to write this since I saw it on Friday night. There have been a few parallels made in my mind to It's A Sin, so if you enjoyed that show, then I think you will be fine with this. 

The Hope Mill Theatre have made an e-programme for the show, which you can download here: Programme.pdf (hopemilltheatre.co.uk)

To get tickets, you can either or via the Hope Mill's website, or direct through stream.theatre