Left Luggage is an endearing play following sisters Nicola (Kim Burnett) and Danni (Bryony Thomas) as they rediscover each other in the wake of their grandmother’s death. Written by Isla Gray and presented by KimBo Theatre Company, Left Luggage showcases Gray’s lifelike and witty writing, allowing it to lead the action, with Burnett and Thomas becoming mouthpieces for a strong and contemporary script.

Nicola is a social worker, nostalgic about her childhood and connected to her past. She recalls memories fondly and still lives near the house she grew up in with her gran and sister. Danni on the other hand has flown the nest both mentally and physically; she lives in London, has forgotten – or chosen to forget – many of the childhood memories Nicola treasures, and is glued to her phone, probing Nicola to taunt: “they say people’s attention spans have halved because of technology.” Whilst Danni’s self-centred and obnoxious lack of engagement with their situation initially makes her less likeable as a character, it is her idea to post the lost suitcase containing their gran’s papers on social media under the hashtag #findgransmemories – a post which then goes viral – that leads the girls to discover just how loved their gran was.

There are several particularly funny moments in Left Luggage. Danni opening what is supposedly Nicola’s suitcase is comedy gold: instead of revealing Nicola’s mumsy clothes and their gran’s papers, she pulls out brightly coloured thongs, a skimpy bikini and a risqué catsuit to ruptures of laughter from the audience. Later, Nicola’s attempt to take a selfie before posing in a terrifyingly stern manner for Danni evokes the much-loved episode in Friends in which Chandler can’t smile, and throws Burnett’s comic acuteness into the spotlight.

The capacity to set up in-the-round staging that The Space offers is ideal for Left Luggage. The high roof and sparse furniture allows the action in this small-scale production to be performed coherently without microphones, and while director Ali Pidsley’s decision to stage an entire scene in the dark – with only the light of a single phone screen to illuminate both sisters – means some expressions are lost, it’s certainly atmospheric, planting us perfectly in the loft of the old family home.

In the final moments, Pidsley cleverly has us become the guests at what is a touching celebration of gran’s life. Whilst the final note is a tad too sentimental, bordering on cheesy, it’s a lovingly thought-through tribute to grandparents all-round.

 

Left Luggage is playing The Space until 22 October 2016. For more information and tickets, see The Space website.