REVIEW: G R I E F C A S E by Tailwind Physical Theatre at The Hope Theatre 22 September - 3 October 2026
“Tailwind’s use of connection, and more significantly, disconnection, shines.” ★★★★★
In the spaces between each letter of its title, G R I E F C A S E attempts to hold the hollow, the messy, and the universal. Its success as a show lies not in the success of this attempt, but rather, in its acknowledgement of the absolute impossibility of doing so.
G has just turned 30, but a birthday party and series of office meetings turn suddenly into days clearing out their late mother’s council flat after it’s already been rented to a new resident. Half empty suitcases stick out of the set’s walls, the floor appears splattered with ink. In their design of the traverse set, Ru Lawrence and Toby Hampton capture the transience both of the literal flat and of grief itself.
In the devised movement of the piece, the company cleverly links the birthday party, meetings, and aftermath of G’s mother’s passing with common visual moments, as the everyday and celebratory flip with scary ease into the weight of fresh grief. The movement language of the show remains consistently effective throughout. As they see visions of their late mother, G revisits the missed visits home and explosive fights. Yet, their attempts to embrace her fail – his mother’s (Collette Hodson) arms go limp and they just won’t stay round G’s neck.
This is just one instance in which Tailwind’s use of connection, and more significantly, disconnection, shines. Bodies weave through each other, catch and drop each other, pass just past each other. Material and fabric are manipulated as clothes suffocate and restrict, or a plastic sheet engulfs ensemble members like a giant wave.
The show shifts between hilariously awkward Garry’s (Jack St Leger) attempts to console G and G’s friend Lucy’s (Poppy Janisch) own mourning of G’s mum. The first ever co-production of the Hope Theatre, G R I E F C A S E is a well-crafted look at human connection, how it shapes us, and how the grief of a loss reverberates.
G R I E F C A S E by Tailwind Physical Theatre at The Hope Theatre, 22 September to 3 October 2026
Produced by Tailwind Physical Theatre and The Hope Theatre
22 Sept - 3 Oct 2026
Tuesday - Saturday
Shows at 7pm
Tickets £10/£16/£18
Box Office: 0333 666 3366
Cast
G - Ru Lawrence
Mum/Ensemble - Collette Hodson
Garry/Ensemble - Jack St Leger
Lucy/Ensemble - Poppy Janisch
Creative Team
Written by Ru Lawrence
Devised by Tailwind Physical Theatre
Directed by Jack Mckee
Lighting Design by Laurel Marks
Composition by Phil Roscoe
Sound Design by Ru Lawrence
Set Design by Ru Lawrence & Toby Hampton
Photographer credit: Hamish MacGillivray
Social Media Details
X: @TheHopeTheatre
Facebook: /thehopetheatre
Insta: @thehopetheatre
@tailwindphysicaltheatre
