REVIEW: A Beginner’s Guide to Widowhood by Truthful Tales Productions at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre 1 - 5 September 2026

“Suria’s husband, Dan, is dead, but this production and Liz Jadav’s performance is anything but”  ★★★★

Suria’s husband, Dan, is dead, but this production and Liz Jadav’s performance is anything but. The central image of the show is not so much the old guidebook Suria clutches, but what’s in it – to-do lists, receipts, marks made by two people planning for a long life together. 

We follow the recent widow, Suria, on the “worst holiday she ever took”. Accompanying her are her teenage son and daughter, and constant reminders of her husband’s absence. But as Suria tells us, she’s not “lost” her husband, she knows exactly where he is. Neither has he “popped his clogs” or any of the other bad euphemisms Suria’s children throw back and forth in their games over dinner. “A Beginner’s Guide to Widowhood” skips over the euphemisms and confronts its subject matter dead on. Khan and Mainwaring’s text, complemented by Breakwell’s direction, takes us between endearing comedy and the lowest points of grief. The production handles the true story it is based upon with sensitivity and grace, yet it never shies away from pillow-muffled screams or public breakdowns. 

The motif of the guidebook and its contents is heartbreakingly effective. None of this was in the guidebook, Suria tells us at the climax of the play. Yet, as she walks through the streets of Türkiye, and has a chance encounter with a stranger who understands all too well, the guidebook’s contents become less a reminder of what’s been lost, and more a guide to possibilities and new paths. 

Jadav’s portrayal of the other characters in the piece was particularly enjoyable to watch. We get a sense of Suria’s relationship to and opinion of each character through the way she takes on their voices and physicality. For example, the discomfort with a stranger in the church as opposed to deep love for her children. The movement was also used at points to mark switches between emotional and mental states (at points more stylised and at others more naturalistic). This was an aspect of the production which showed much promise and would have been good to see more of.   

Both literally and not, this production was skilfully scored. Walker-Allen’s sound design brought us both from location to location and emotion to emotion. And when Suria finally jumps off the (fittingly named) “Father Mountain” with her son, and her feet leave the certainty of ground, the play’s final moment of hope and flight truly feels earned. 

A Beginner’s Guide to Widowhood by Truthful Tales Productions at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, 1-5 September 2026

Company:

Originally created by Omar Khan and written by Rae Mainwaring

Performer/Producer – Liz Jadav

Director – Andrew Breakwell

Movement Director – Kitty Winter

Sound Designer – Wayne Walker-Allen

Original Stage Manager – Ali Bakewell

Tickets: 

£15 (standard); £13 (concessions) 

Running Time: 

60 minutes (+ optional post-show conversation) 

Box Office: 

thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on   

Photography credit - Ali Bakewell

Sub-Edited by Harry Speirs