The Ties That Bind - presented by Kucom Theatre

Many of us are familiar with ‘Blest be the tie that binds’, a lovely hymn about sharing each other’s joys and woes. But these blessings can be a mixed bunch, hilariously so in Kucom Theatre’s newest offering, a season of one-act plays opening on 12^th March. In The Ties That Bind, a variety of relationships - family, friends, and marital connections – one by one, come under the microscope. And some of them are ever so slightly questionable …

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, by Christopher Durang, directed by Anzjuli Venter:

You don’t need to be familiar with The Glass Menagerie to enjoy this parody of what is arguably Tennessee William’s best-known play. Fading Southern belle Amanda (played by Kristyn Everett) is trying to prepare her mentally fragile, hypochondriacal son Lawrence (played by Kucom newcomer Toby Drage) for the arrival of a ‘feminine caller’ - but Lawrence is terrified of people and obsessed with his collection of glass cocktail stirrers. His younger brother Tom (Hayden White, also making his debut with Kucom) likes going to the movies where he repeatedly encounters sailors who need lodging (preferably in his room). And the ‘feminine caller’ Ginny (Richelle Hodson) turns out to be not quite what was expected. Amanda tries to face everything with ‘charm and vivacity,’ but sometimes she just wants to hit somebody.

Looking at the Alps, by Yvette Wall, directed by Maureen Coleman:

Trin and Sally, now in their 70s and both widowed, are best friends who have been sharing the same house for nearly forty years. Sally (played by Tessa King) jokes that she is the ‘bionic woman’ – she has two artificial hips and is getting ready for her second knee replacement - and Trin (Bronwyn Grannall) is a cancer survivor, ‘missing a couple of major body parts’, but that doesn’t stop them from fantasising about being their own version of Thelma and Louise and having sex with Brad Pitt. As they reflect on their past adventures and old wounds are re-opened, they dream up one final, daring plan, testing their lifelong bond in ways they never expected. Funny one moment and deeply moving the next, Looking at the Alps is a joyous celebration of friendship, resilience, and the courage to assume control of your own story—no matter where it takes you.

The Problem, by A R Gurney Jr, directed by John Irvine:

The final offering in the program is a deliciously quirky, shrewd, sardonic piece about the sex life of a college professor (played by Ben Clutterbuck) and his wife (Anzjuli Venter). Or maybe it’s the lack of sex life – according to the wife, they haven’t made love in ‘five years, more or less … give or take a month or two’. Which explains why they may have a problem, because her husband doesn’t seem to have noticed that she is obviously hugely pregnant! In a very funny but increasingly absurd and convoluted dialogue, the level of their apparent inability to communicate with each other is ratcheted up again and again as one reality gives way to another. The story takes some imaginative swerves, right up to the final twist. Warning: contains sexual references that may induce laughter.

What: The Ties That Bind

Where: Kucom Theatre, 1 Snow Wright Court, Andergrove

When: 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st March at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Sunday 15th March at 2pm

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/the-ties-that-bind