REVIEW: Kindling by Sarah Rickman at Park Theatre, 22 October - 15 November 2025

‘It is a joy to see a cast of women in various types of comedy, from dark commentary to observational humour to slapstick.’

★★★ ½   

Five relative strangers connected by their common friend, Mei, meet in a clearing in the woods to scatter her ashes. They bear some animosity towards each other and the initial tension only rises as we puzzle out their purpose, names and individual characters, and their relationships to Mei.

Each of the characters are beautifully cast. Jasmin (Rendah Beshoori), who comes to the woods with her Louis Vuitton suitcase and nails manicured, is Mei’s ‘plastic’ friend. The sister-in-law, Rose (Sarah Rickman), is a good-natured but awkward member of the crew, who forgot one of the tents. Sue (Ciara Pouncett) remembered her task to supply the alcohol, but she did forget her manners, asking questions like, “were you dropped on your head as a baby?” to Rose. Mei’s nursery friend, Jules (Stacy Abalogun), is a lesbian who keeps the group on the straight and narrow. Catherine (Scarlett Alice Johnson) is the hippy friend who provides reviled cakes at work. All interesting and all unique characters, well-performed by this ensemble.

The dramatic tension increases with the sudden rain, as the ladies disperse to find a place to stay dry (without the missing tent) and some good gags occur. It is a joy to see a cast of women pulling off various types of comedy, from dark commentary to observational humour to slapstick. The group also addresses menopause and cancer discussions and conversations about their children (and why some choose not to have them) but these feel peripheral and brief, lacking full depth to these important topics. They move into their drunken evening and dancing to their a capella version of Livin’ on a Prayer to avoid too much self-reflection. 

The beauty of the staging (Abi Groves) is actually quite staggering: realistic, beautiful, and appealing. With a wall image of the woods and a forest floor of tree stumps, plant growth, branches and wood chips, it transports the audience to the woods in Wales. The only detriment to this staging is that some of the sight lines were blocked by possibly being forced into a corner (literally) and in the chaos of the ensemble’s antics, I missed some of the action (blocked by someone’s head). It was only at the end of the play that I fully pieced together what I had missed.

The characters in Kindling are memorable and there are some funny and touching moments, but the promise of Kindling, both in name and in setup, don’t quite come to fruition. While there is a lot to enjoy about the play, and some great punchlines, I felt that many times the characters were pulling their punches.

Kindling by Sarah Rickman at Park Theatre, 22 October - 15 November 2025

Box Office https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/kindling/

Performed by Stacy Abalogun, Rendah Beshoori, Scarlett Alice Johnson, Claire Pouncett, Sarah Rickman (Voiceover: Eugenia Low)

Directed by Emma Gersh

Lighting: Chloe Kenward

Sound: Esther Ajayi

Set Design: Abi Groves

Costume Supervisor: Elizabeth Lewis

Produced by Ladybird Productions

Photography by Holly Darville

Reviewed by Mariam Mathew