Review: The Nurses Station at Alphabetti Theatre
The Nurse’s Station
Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
11th September 2024
It is always a pleasure to review at Alphabetti in Newcastle because the space is so delightful. Everyone is afforded a wonderfully warm welcome in the bar where there is a grand array of alcoholic, soft, cold and hot drinks and the best cheese toasties in Newcastle according to the venue themselves.
It was all the more wonderful this evening as the place was absolutely bouncing for the world premiere of The Nurse’s Station by outgoing Artistic Director Ali Prichard and Ruth Lyon. As with many of the productions at Alphabetti, I did not really have a great idea what to expect but this beautifully crafted and performed piece was a joy from beginning to end.
This is a two hander performance with first time night shifter nurse Simon (Luke Maddison) meeting long time and long in the tooth staff nurse Leila (Rosie Stancliffe) for the first time. The dynamic and chemistry between the two shines out from the performance area right from the start. The show is peppered with folky type music written by Ruth Lyon which delightfully carry the linear story from the start to the end of the characters’ night shift on the ward of a hospital.
The performers very cleverly interact with some colourful (but unseen) characters on the ward and as an audience member, I was effortlessly able to imagine these patients as the actors introduced them. This is taken up a notch with a particularly humorous segment when the performers are obscured from the audience’s view to attend to the needs of a patient. I do like it when I am challenged to use my own mental pictures to work out what is going on although, in fairness, this for this scene it was definitely best left to the imagination.
The set is effectively the title of the piece and is instantly recognisable to anyone who has been into a hospital as a visitor or a patient. The lighting design by Nick Tyler is very effective, particularly as the night shift draws on and the performers are working tirelessly to keep their many patients safe and, for preference, in their beds. The soundscape is also very effective and at times foreboding as the narrative progresses.
Pritchard and Lyon have clearly put in a great deal of research and thought into this production to bring a realistic and humorous insight into what a hospital night shift may look like. There is some social commentary on the more serious state of the NHS in terms of bureaucracy over the needs of the patients, the fact that our nurses are woefully over worked and under paid and the sheer length of the shifts which certainly felt exhausting for me as an audience member.
This production from Alphabetti is in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing and Northumbria University Nursing Department both of whom were represented in the audience this evening. As a lovely touch, if you are a worker in Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation then there are 400 free tickets available specifically for you. The details are available on Alphabetti’s website.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance this evening. It makes for uncomfortable viewing at times but Maddison and Stancliffe offer genuine performances with some wonderful vocals and harmonies and I encourage everyone to take some time out from their busy days to see The Nurse’s Station.
The Nurse’s Station plays at Alphabetti Theatre until Saturday 28thSeptember.