Bruised Sky Productions & Fledgling Theatre Company’s Hummingbird is a slippery factor concerning the unpredictable nature of grief at VAULT Festival
“Do you ever think about how much grass there is?”
Grief can hit us in a mess of the way. For Phoeb, the disappearance of her husband Gavin led her to withdraw from the world. When she ultimately re-emerges on the farmhouse inherited by her half-sister Jude and her associate Brian, there’s reduction (that’s she protected) and rancour (at how she left them within the lurch) however as soon as Phoeb declares that Gavin has returned to them, issues take a extremely surprising flip.
For she believes he has come to her as a hummingbird, and he or she decided to affix him a technique or one other. Christopher Neels’ play Hummingbird thus explores the all-encompassing nature of grief and the way all of us but cope with it in a different way. Jude and Brian are grieving the lack of a good friend too however as Phoeb’s plan turns into ever extra audacious, we’re requested to query how far we must always let our family members go within the identify of that grief.
Thrown into the combo is Jude and Brian’s struggles to adapt to life on a farm that they’re not vastly enthused about having. Flavoured milk style checks, conversations with sheep, battles over Monopoly, Phoeb’s arrival throws an already febrile state of affairs into additional chaos however as her grieving course of takes specific form, responding to the avian nature of Gavin’s return, it evokes its personal awakening inside Brian, his makes an attempt to assist her aiding him in working by way of a few of his points.
Neels additionally acts as director and he’s clearly well-attuned to the marginally off-beat nature of his work – small particulars maintain us off-kilter (the preliminary him of that radio for one) however there’s lots right here to make you smile, with surprises in retailer proper by way of the hour. Fresh from supplying tablets throughout the Calder Valley, Amit Shah is large enjoyable as Brian, his sport efficiency connecting nicely with Nancy Zamit’s impressively wrought Jude. And after smashing it in Thirsty earlier this pageant, Louise Beresford is superb because the risky Phoeb, a nervy edginess operating by way of her work.