Blessings | Riverside Studios

Blessings catapults its audiences firmly into 1969 with its gaudy backdrop and 1960s soundtrack, but this family drama explores themes which remain prescient today.

We meet the Deacon family at Easter, the play opening with part of the family unit attending a Catholic service at the local church. Martin (Freddie Webster) and Penny (Milly Roberts) are down from London for a visit, while notably absent are father Frank (understandably for the church service as actor Gary Webster plays both Frank and Father O’Brien), who needs fetching from the pub, and rebellious Frances (Hannah Traylen), who has just been kicked out of school and is horrifying her mother (Anna Acton) by working in the Co-op. Completing the family is the youngest daughter, Sally (Emily Lane), studying for her O-levels and struggling to work out what she wants from life. 

It is easy to see writer-director Sarah Shelton’s background as script editor for Channel 5’s Family Affairs in the play’s array of soap opera plots, of which one of the central threads is the revelation that Frances is pregnant, and the impact this pregnancy has on Frances, Sally, and mother Dolly in particular. 

The family’s relationship with the church, and with Father O’Brien, is also key, as is Sally’s coming of age, as she navigates school, her family’s expectations, and her first experience of love (boyfriend Peter is also played by Freddie Webster).

Sally is the lens through which we see much of the drama unfold, and Emily Lane does a superb job in the role, engaging and nuanced throughout. The cast is generally strong, with Hannah Traylen as Frances also a highlight. 

For the 90-minute runtime, there are a few too many plots and characters to contend with, with the older siblings who dip in and out of family life feeling particularly underdeveloped. The action also flits quickly between locations, and while this is slickly managed, it does sometimes add to the confusion. 

Alice Carroll’s set and costume design effectively evokes the late 1960s, with brightly-patterned wallpaper and clothing in abundance, as well as a copy of Jackie magazine doing the rounds in an early scene. 

Andy Graham’s sound design also adds to the 1960s feel with the use of music from the period in scene transitions, while the sound design also roots the characters firmly in place more generally, which is particularly useful for a production with such an abundance of movement. Lighting design from Dan Terry is also effective, particularly in the transitions.

A compelling family drama in need of some refinement, it would be easy to see Blessings developed for the screen. With a little weeding of unnecessary sideplots, or further development of these and a longer runtime, this play could truly shine.

Blessings runs at Riverside Studios until 26th October.

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Lidia Crisafulli