A political play truly for made for our times
Using the verbatim words of over 70 NHS nurses, El Blackwood’s Tending is a well-crafted and sobering reflection on trying to save lives whilst working in a broken system. Accompanied by simple but snappy tech and confronting performances from the three-person company, this is a political play truly made for our times.
There is a great dynamic between our three nurses – Blackwood also appears as a perfomer, alongside Mara Allen and Ben Lynn. Lynn delivers a very believable interpretation of an overworked nurse, while Allen’s exhibits an expert handing of the both comic and tragic elements of the script. Blackwood shines most in a deeply emotional monolouge towards the end, and has produced an extremely strong narrative that manages to be amusing as well as confronting.
Blackwood’s narrative is artfully crafted – the actors recount the most gut-wrenching details to the audience in a conversational way; the use of clinical terms helps to sanitize of some of the gorier elements. It feels akin to receiving news at a hospital that you may not understand; but the compassion of the person telling you is a comfort. Director John Livesey has brought Blackwood’s story to life with such care – there is some brilliant physical elements that accompany the spoken parts without distracting from them.
This is an extremely well-written and performed piece – it hits all the right notes, and is thoughtful without ever trying to preach to its audience. In a country with a healthcare system such as ours, this is a show that hits hard, and certainly sticks in the mind.