Review: CARE, Young Vic

“One of the responsibilities of theatre is to reclaim the dignity of life”, says Alexander Zeldin, internationally acclaimed writer and director of CARE, currently playing at Young Vic, London. This poignant new play has humour, heart, and humanity in equal measure as it examines ageing in the everyday life of a care home. The no-fuss performances are so real and the dialogue so relatable, especially if there are family dynamics or elders in your life, that you might take up the offer to stay and sit for a while after the show is over and be united by shared experience.  

It is a stunning production and, at a purposeful playing time of over two hours without a break, the audience is as immersed as if seated in the main care home lounge. With some exits and entrances through the audience, there is a feeling that a whole building is operating around you, just out of sight. Credit goes to Rosanna Vize for transforming the studio into a recognisable functional space. Her set quietly transforms from public to private bedroom and platforms the action with a clear empathy of place. Here, the loneliness and longing for former lives, homes, and loved ones are played out by an impeccable ensemble of moving and idiosyncratic characters, like former sex worker Simone (Hayley Carmichael). 

Mesmerising and luminous, Linda Bassett is phenomenal as Joan, the grandmother who is angrily moved to the care home after a fall. Visiting daughter Lynn (Rosie Cavaliero) is a bereaved single mum, with Cavaliero’s understated performance bringing an authentic portrayal of a stressed, unpaid ‘carent’ carrying an already grieving family. Dementia is part of our culture, and the story needs interrogating. Her two feuding sons provide quick-fire energy as Laurie (William Laurie), a teenager projecting anger and sadness, and his younger sibling Robbie (Charlie Webb) navigate the elders.

We see the whole system being held by Hazel (Llewella Gideon), who is exhausted, yet manages her job with grace, sizzling one-liners, and matriarchal wisdom to support her new staff and residents. Subtle socio-political comments are deployed here as both she and Fanta (Aoife Gaston) are understaffed and overworked, stepping in to fill daily activity cuts and delays. Gaston shines in the music session, as does John (Richard Durden) with singing that sets up misplaced romance and a longing to be held and feel loved again.             

The witty one-liners cut across the sad moments, and the cast finds glimmers of joy in the everyday. The unsaid and silences are played with deep respect and gut-wrenching honesty. Zeldin finely directs his own words as the audience is lulled into the characters’ world of seasonal change and residents coming and going. Literally. The lighting (James Farncombe) punctuates each passing with a blackout to give the audience a chance to realign and the story to move on. When a resident dies, they join the audience to sit among us as we all watch the living. Gradually, Joan reassesses what matters in her life, and the audience is invited to view end-of-life through her lens. The scene that truly reclaims Zeldin’s sought-after dignity of life is silently realised when Hazel washes Joan. When the play reaches its emotional climax, there is a final transition that allows the audience to breathe and the characters to discover hope. It is well-placed, fluidly choreographed (Marcin Rudy), and a life-affirming way to conclude this family drama. Come for the laughs and the tears, stay for the compassionate respect of dignity, and be encouraged to view life differently. This is an extraordinary piece of theatre.

Writer and Director – Alexander Zeldin
Set Designer – Rosanna Vize
Costume Designer – Natasha Jenkins 
Lighting Designer – James Farncombe
Sound Designer – Josh Anio Grigg 
Movement Director – Marcin Rudy
Intimacy Director – Katharine Hardman
Fight Director – Sam Lyon-Behan
Voice Coach – Carol Fairlamb
Dramaturg – Faye Merralls
Associate Director – Kaleya Baxe

CARE runs at Young Vic until Saturday 11 July