It all got a bit meta on Wednesday night.

Checking out the flyer at the venue for the theatre show I was about to watch, there was me, telling me (and others) that

I want you to see it for yourself and feel the sucker punch I did.

Was I caught up in another time and space dimension (again, tut) or am I simply being silly as I know really what was happening here (what AM I like).

Back in October 2021, I was invited to see the first iteration of this fine show at Salford Arts Theatre, and duly loved it, thus declaring things about sucker punches and the like.

Now, the thing with sucker punches is that one of their properties is to manifest themselves unexpectedly, in order to have an impact and indeed realise their status of ‘sucker punch’. How would this revised version of the two-hander deliver the same shock to the, effectively, already initiated? Did it need to deliver the same shock? Would the lead-up negate any need for sucker punches, punches to the gut and other such violent metaphors?

Let us see…

Back in his childhood home after several years, David finds himself realising he’s a lot more like his mum than he ever thought he was. Whilst drinking whiskey, playing dominoes, and dancing in the dining room, can they rekindle the mother and son love they once had when he was just a little kid?

I’m always nervous about watching a play or story that I’ve seen before. Well not so much the watching part, but of my own ability to revisit something I’ve already written about before. Would I find myself subconsciously duplicating my original thoughts (to make absolutely sure to at least reduce the risk of that, I haven’t reread the 2021 post). Would my past feelings and reactions (albeit highly positive) prejudice my opinions so as to give a slightly warped and lesser authentic perspective of a show than perhaps if I was seeing it for the first time like some readers (hello mum) may indeed do post-read? Hopefully not.

But two things had me running, not walking (actually being driven) over to Leigh on a Wednesday night after a heady 10 days away on holiday. One was the venue, a return visit to The Way Theatre at Spinner’s Mill in Leigh. Now this is where the meta continues – the last time I went was to see a revival of a production I’d also seen an earlier version of before (I didn’t say I don’t do this, more that I tie myself in knots each time like the big old dafty that I am). And not only that, but one by the same writer, Joseph Walsh: Frozen Peas in an Old Tin Can (at The Way Theatre)… – honorary manc

Which brings me to the second and main reason I climbed those four floors/eight staircases upto that charming space – actually the whole Mill is charming; like a step back in time in a wholly wonderful way). I strongly suspected I was going to love/relove his work all over again and was all in.

Now, like I say, I’m purposely not going to read about the previous version of Hold Me Close so any comparison is done without prejudice and purely relies on my own memory (worried face emoji). So don’t worry those who want to see this production for the first time – it’s not going to be full of throwback references, inside jokes and inferred asides.

Ok – let’s get on.

• The north of England.
• Two-hander.
• Kitchen sink drama.
• Family tension.
• Savage dialogue.
• Nostalgia.
• Humour.

These are all key words that attach themselves to some of my favourite cultural texts and pieces. Looking over this just now, quite twee productions could have those same attributes, but I’m not really a massive fan. I’m more of a Saturday Night, Sunday Morning gal over Brassed Off.

Directed by Will Travis (incidentally, excellent on stage in the aforementioned Frozen Peas in an Old Tin Can), taking on the roles of David and Mum were Joseph Walsh and Susan McArdle. Gold star to those who remember that Joseph is the writer as well. Having never seen Joseph on stage in his productions before (if I remember correctly), this added a layer of intrigue for me as well.

I could have watched the two go to battle all night.

Now don’t get me wrong – this is not a 60 minute shouting match, a two-dimensional affair that relies on a back and forth exchange of one-liners. The play has depth, humour, and instils the belief in its audience that this woman indeed birthed, bathed and brought up in Bolton this now 27-year old man standing before her. The performances were authentic, cutting, sharp, had bite in all the right places, and warmth in the others.

I felt like the proverbial fly on the wall, or perhaps the nosy neighbour, glass against the wall, laughing uproariously at the cut of ‘Mum’s’ jib (whilst desperately praying I don’t bump into her outside).

There’s love, resentment, joy, regret, anger, resentment, comfort, sadness and the happiness that only people bonded by nature and nurture can experience where every feeling felt – positive or negative – is born from the familial ties that bind.

The set is simple, the cast small, and commonly with fringe theatre that I adore, there is nowhere to hide. The story? An estranged son makes an unexpected return home to see his mum, a seemingly lonely, single middle-aged woman, in her nicotine decorated two-up-two-down, whose life has apparently descended into monotony and unhealthy habits – no coincidence that David’s absence in her life has run parallel.

David’s disgust at his mum’s dwelling dissipates as time passes, with only fleeting returns, as the two revisit old times before real life hit hard. Dominoes, dancing to Brotherhood of Men, a teddy bear kept to this day by a mum who loves and misses her son (with a hilarious name that I wish I’d mentally noted).

However, the chasm between seeing him hasn’t been completely without some relief – David has been on a reality tv show for all the world (and his mum to see). Winning it, no less. Not that the prize money didn’t disappear long ago. For all (and probably the reason behind) his derision of his mum’s flaws, he has a few of his own and a penchant for undesirable and illegal substances.

This is an hour of theatre at its most pure, with ebbs and flows, both monologues and repartee and an ending that will surely make you want to experience it all over again, as you navigate through the shocking revelation at the end.

Now, there’s so much more I want to say about the dramatic devices that are cleverly used throughout the 60 minutes which are well thought out, stealth, highly effective and perhaps only appreciated once you’re reflecting and making your way home. And about the importance of some of the themes which I have barely alluded to (for good reason) but were richly discussed in the Q&A after the show.

But I want to preserve the magic of what is a show that will keep you thinking, and thinking and above all else, entertained, be it as a first time witness or a returning, well, fan!.

And yes – whilst this time I came with prior knowledge and insight into the basic story arc of the show, I left feeling emotional (happy and sad) which, as I often say, is the point of art. Making you feel something.

In the words of 2021 me – I want you to see it for yourself.

Hold Me Close (forgot to mention – David is named after one Mr Essex) continues this Thursday 23 and Friday 24 April. See Hold Me Close at The Way Theatre/Studio event tickets from TicketSource for details.

Production images: Lois Barnett