Black Velvet ★★★★★

Ideally suited to its venue, Black Velvet, which explores bereavement, is performed in the converted church, Bedlam Theatre, and is set in a graveyard. A beautifully-crafted two-hander, this piece deals with the aftermath of maternal loss and grief in a way which is deeply affecting, challenging and yet never crosses over into the mawkish. Ultimately there are reflections on life’s inevitable circles and the power of human kindness.

Llew is a young man coming to terms to the untimely death of his mother and is visiting her in the graveyard with a flask of tea and biscuits as well as fresh flowers. As he settles down for a chat, he’s startled by a voice from beyond the grave and then relieved to find that it’s coming from a young Irish girl – Aoife. She, it transpires, has also lost her mother and has been sleeping rough there. In a series of powerful scenes, they explore each others’ grief, feelings of abandonment and anger until eventually they find the tiny glimmers which suggest that a future is possible and that they can play a part in it.

This is powerful stuff and it is rendered in a deeply personal and perceptive manner by Charles Ison and Christina Knight. The great taboo – death – is exposed and exploded, challenging those who shy away from acknowledging it, to make lame comparisons with other experiences, whilst simultaneously recognising the universality of our struggle to deal with it face to face.

The courage of these actors, also creators, should be loudly applauded.