Theatre should always resonate with audiences in one way or another in my opinion, whether comfortable or not the themes involve should leave you able to at least raise some questions in your mind or not. Don’t be put off or under any assumptions about what you think this play might be about, however one thing to note for sure is that there are trigger warnings required, without causing any deliberate harm to be triggered. In fact, I Will Miss You When You’re Gone manages to do exactly what it says on the tin – it makes you think about those you’ll miss when your gone raising issues such as grief. Through some scenes, I found the jokes hard to swallow, yet I take it all with a strong pinch of salt. Understanding that people process grief in a different manner is an important theme throughout.
The storyline is easy to follow throughout the and each character has distinct personality and qualities that can easily draw you to a theme. I enjoyed the costume choices by Celeste and Robin in all white, avoiding the clichés of ghosts was Theresa and Evelyn in colourful clothing ironically hard to be missed!
I found the character dynamics between Celeste and her boss Robin interesting, reflecting the reality of how replicable you are whether you’re alive or dead. Your work and job will always remain there, and it is not an area that can afford (literally) to miss you when you’re gone. Celeste finds new confidence within herself and courage towards Robin which is channelled effortlessly once she connects with Evelyn. This production allows for further discussions to have between grief, mental health, work/life balances and friendships. Regardless of how you deem any of these themes important, it is of high priority to remember more work like this needs to be produced to make conversations surrounding these themes normality and less of a taboo.
Runs until 29 September at Hens and Chickens. Tickets available to book now.
Through the powers of social media and a well-marketed hashtag, I was invited to the rehearsals of the upcoming production of I Will Miss You When You’re Gone.
This was the first time I had been interviewed to a closed rehearsal so it was a great experience for me to be part of.
Listen to the full interview below:
A massive thank you to the cast and production of I Will Miss You When You’re Gone: Jessica Moss (Writer), Yuqun Fan (Director), Marta da Silva (Artistic Director), Rebecca Dig (Producer), Paulina Brahm (Celeste), Marta da Silva (Evelyn), Tammie Rhee (Robin)M Sharon Drain (Theresa)