Skip to main content

Review of Bright Places at Birmingham Rep (The Door)

Bright Places, currently running at The Rep, Birmingham, is an at times deeply powerful and at others overtly funny exploration of what it is to be a sufferer of Multiple Sclerosis.

Presented by Carbon Theatre, in association with Birmingham Rep, the show is written by MS sufferer Rae Mainwaring as a totally honest autobiographical story. Performed by three female actors, Lauren Foster, Aimee Berwick and Rebecca Holmes, they each take on the roles of Actor A, B and C respectively.

These "actors" then in turn take the role of sufferer and writer Rae, and all others within her life story from work colleagues, fellow sufferers and doctors. Most of their characterisation is kept simple and is mostly depicted by the use of a costume box or prop rather than in their performance.

All the actors do work extremely well together though, clearly, both well rehearsed and confident in each other's abilities to keep the much-needed pace to the story.

At times, the sketch-like style of the format creates both a disjointed aspect and a lack of direction. However, what does work is the power of both the story Bright Places tells and the education and further recognition of the condition it presents. The audience truly does learn something here.

There is also much to be gained from the simplicity of the production and solid, crisp direction from Tessa Walker. Pace is maintained throughout, and there is also an excellent use of music if often brief in the snippets used. Scenes pass quickly, never allowing one idea to bog down the show for too long.

Overall, Bright Places has more success than failure, but with a little more time, it could have benefited from some tightening of some scenes. What remains though is a totally educational and entertaining 75 minutes of theatre which without question is well worth your support during its stay at The Rep.

A both funny and sad exploration of what Multiple Sclerosis means to sufferers.
⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Wednesday 30th October 2024 at The Birmingham Rep Theatre (The Door)

Bright Places runs at the Birmingham Rep Theatre until Saturday 2nd November, 2024.

For further details about the Birmingham Rep and to book tickets see their website at https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/

Production Photos: Graeme Braidwood


Popular posts from this blog

Review of The House She Built at The Black Diamond, Northampton

Independent theatre company Nerve Theatre was founded in January 2025, when its first original production, Broken Party , took to the stage at Benn Hall in Rugby. That was followed the same year by a modern retelling of Frankenstein . Now, for 2026, Nerve Theatre founder Mia Ballard has written and directed The House She Built , staged for three nights at The Black Diamond, Northampton. The House She Built , set in 1950s Hollywood, is a dark thriller influenced by the lives of Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn and their treatment as women within the cogs of Hollywood. Our leading lady here is Nancy Carlton, who returns to Mellor Brothers Productions to make one final film. But something awaits her, and the scene is set for a period thriller that explores the grimy world behind Hollywood's apparently glamorous days. Michaela Clement-Hayes leads the cast as Nancy Carlton, the star troubled by her past, but returning to her old studio for that final mov...
Read more

Review of Barnum at Milton Keynes Theatre

Barnum , with a book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman, premiered on Broadway in 1980 and followed in the West End just a year later. At the helm for these two productions were two huge names in the entertainment business: Jim Dale on Broadway and Michael Crawford in the West End. It needed, of course, big names to fill the shoes of the legendary P. T. Barnum, whose tale is told in this now-fondly remembered musical. Filling these boots in this new production, now pitched at Milton Keynes Theatre, is Matt Rawle, a prolific theatre performer himself, but can he, and this production, live up to the iconic greatest showman? “Step right up and enter the dazzling world of P.T. Barnum, where imagination and ambition know no bounds”, the publicity for the show announces, and this new production of the now-classic Barnum - The Circus Musical mostly ticks these boxes. Rawle is a captivating and strong presence as the lead, bringing an infectious charm to the p...
Read more

Review of Paranormal Activity at Milton Keynes Theatre

The low-budget film Paranormal Activity , first released in 2007, has since become the starting point of one of the most prolific horror series ever, with seven films now released in the franchise and another due next year. Its unique down-to-earth style of storytelling, inhabiting what is many people’s real life, with dangers within the house, has contributed greatly to its success. So, from one successful medium franchise, it is no surprise the series was developed for theatre in 2024, with a new story by Levi Holloway (though it borrows heavily from the original film). First performed at Leeds Playhouse before heading to both the West End and Broadway, and now, for 2026, a UK and Ireland tour, which this week arrives at Milton Keynes Theatre. So the question is: has the medium successfully crossed to the other side? Newly married couple, James and Lou, move from Chicago to London in an attempt to escape both of their past lives. However, as events begin to repeat themselves, they re...
Read more