'Rose' at Hope Mill: Dame Maureen Lipman’s Mesmerising One-woman Show
As the lights rise, we meet Rose: a charmingly blunt Jewish woman in her 80s who directly confesses “I stink of the last century”. Spurred on by this characteristically flippant remark, Rose, played effortlessly by Dame Maureen Lipman, guides her audience through the tumultuous century that has shaped her.
We journey through Rose’s memories, from pogroms in the Ukraine, to a love story in the wartime ghettos of Warsaw. Onwards to Palestine and New Jersey, we join Rose in search of the elusive promised land. Told through anecdotes, alongside a thought-provoking habit of questioning her own memories, Rose is a story of shared heritage and lived experience.
This stripped-back one-woman show is a masterclass in storytelling. Lipman is captivating as she navigates Martin Sherman’s well-crafted script. Together, we cross Europe, the Atlantic, and back again, addressing integral historical moments without ever feeling forced or tokenistic. Unlike some solo productions, where an actor is forced to jump unnaturally between topics, Lipman’s monologue is seamless. She shifts topics with impeccable timing, carrying the audience eagerly along with her.
Lipman toes a careful line along the boundary of the fourth wall. She speaks directly to her audience - even acknowledges the sounds we make at times - yet there’s a wonderful sense that she’s talking to herself. For her, storytime seems to offer catharsis. We watch the ebb and flow of Rose’s emotional release and restriction throughout. Lipman’s perfectly balanced performance is honest, warm, and passionate.
The stage is intentionally sparse. So too is Rose’s movement during the piece. She shares her wooden bench with just two or three calculated props. There is nothing extraneous and nothing wasted. There is nothing overtly theatrical about this production.
She sits, centre stage, supported only by softly changing lights, and sporadic music that’s barely noticeable at all. Yet there is not a moment’s lull in the audience’s undivided attention. We sit, as eager children at our grandparent’s feet, hanging on her every word.
Beyond recounting history, Sherman’s script weaves the unavoidable subjects of religion, sex, and politics therein. Framed through a personal account, the playwright is free to be opinionated. And whilst this stage is far from a soapbox, the production takes the opportunity to sow the seeds of important conversations.
“History insists on displacing and oppressing human beings in a kind of never-ending loop. This production represents my still-existent hope that someday things will change.”
The production is seasoned liberally with humour. The audience roars, which makes it all the more heartbreaking when the same story brings us to tears. Even when she’s in tears herself, Lipman’s Rose retains complete control over the room’s atmosphere and can spin it entirely with a single sarcastic remark. In finding light amongst the travesties she describes, Rose compounds her moving story of resilience.
Rose is at once haunting, gut-wrenching, and a delightful evening at the theatre! The heart of this production is Lipman’s commanding performance, which earns a well-deserved standing ovation. We are utterly transported, but she remains still, on a simple stage, sitting shiva for those she’s lost.
Rose plays at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester until 11th September, before moving to London’s Park Theatre: 13th Sept to 15th Oct. For more information and tickets, visit the websites for Hope Mill and Park Theatre.
