“Your mum’s really nice, so why’d you hate her so much?”

Difficult parent/child relationships are increasingly becoming the norm. Whether an adult or an adolescent, figuring out this relationship can often be very complex and delicate. Why is it that we argue most with the people who love us unconditionally? We Just Keep Going does not claim to have the answer to this question, but is real in its depiction of the highs and lows of family life.

In the case of Ruby and her mum Susan, there’s more to their relationship than meets the eye. We begin at Ruby’s 16th Birthday when she arrives home from school to a cake and her mum’s endearing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. This is met however by a typically moody teenager, who spends every free moment on her phone and is both embarrassed and irritated by everything her mum says to her. Elle van Knoll cleverly uses the milestones of Ruby’s 16th, 18th, 21st and 25th Birthdays to document and dissect this ever-changing relationship between Ruby (van Knoll) and Susan (Hilary Tones), and we follow as underlying blame and guilt threatens to tear them apart completely. The women show strength of character in admitting that their relationship is worth fighting for but that only time will truly be able to mend the cracks that have formed over the years. They simply have to keep going.

The inclusion of strong female characters in We Just Keep Going is in response to the underrepresentation of women in the theatre industry, something that Elle van Knoll feels very strongly about. What is so great however is that despite the two female characters being the centre of the story, Elle was able to make the gender roles equal throughout the play. We meet the women’s partners Michael (Scott Westwood) and David (Sam Parks) who bring a whole new dynamic to the group and do not come without problems and their own troubled pasts. Every parent and child will recognise themselves in these characters and it is both witty and extremely poignant. Although a slightly predictable cliffhanger is seen before the interval, what could be a very serious moment turns out to be laugh-out-loud funny. The play tackles themes such as mental health, sex and suicide, but Helen Oakleigh’s directing teamed with such great writing from Elle van Knoll, shows that humour can be found in even the darkest of times.

Totally hilarious and refreshingly honest, We Just Keep Going is a wonderful addition to London’s theatre as is the hidden gem that is The Hen and Chickens Theatre.

We Just Keep Going plays The Hen and Chickens Theatre until 19th September. For more information and tickets, see Unrestricted View.