Isabelle - The Opening Night of Middle Child Theatre

I was lucky enough not only to be at the opening night of the new Middle Child Theatre but also the first showing of Marc Graham’s debut play, Isabelle.

All I can say is, wow! What a fabulous evening.

Middle Child is a small 65-seater theatre, which creates a much more intimate experience. The stage set is the family’s conservatory, and I truly felt as though I were there, standing in Isabelle’s garden, watching the drama unfold.

The play is intense and held my attention throughout. It is hugely funny at times; some of the one-liners were laugh-out-loud funny, and the dialogue between the family members felt brutally real – the kind of conversations you have behind closed doors.

There is an awkward sibling banter that comes from a family dynamic of growing up together and sharing the same dark humour that only siblings understand. They clearly loved each other, but we soon saw the cracks beneath the surface when money became the topic of conversation. As they say, the love of money is the root of all evil.

The end left me speechless, and both my friend and I agreed that this was one of the best plays that we have seen – and we see a lot of plays.

It’s an engaging story about a middle-class family that appears to have everything but is completely dysfunctional.  There is plenty of humour but also a dark undertone of class, politics and privilege.

The cast was remarkable. I remembered seeing Kate Hampson in a stage production at the East Riding Theatre last year, so I was thrilled to see her playing Isabelle. And of course, the wonderful Emily Head from my favourite soap, Emmerdale.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers because I'm hoping you will go and see Isabelle for yourselves. It’s on until 31st May, and it’s a show not to be missed.

Go and check out Middle Child, it’s a fabulous night out, and there are bars aplenty down Humber Street.

https://lnkd.in/eD_crTVM

Isabelle was written for the Fresh Ink Festival 2024. The commission was for a thirty-minute play, so only the beginning was shown, but then it was further commissioned as a full play for the opening of Middle Child.

Marc – You have set the bar high! I only hope people enjoy ‘The Wreck’ as much as they love Isabelle ;)