Granny Grotbag Says Goodbye ~ [The White Bear Theatre] ~ Review

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Granny Grotbag Says Goodbye, it sounds like the title of a David Walliams children’s book, doesn’t it? But it’s not, it’s the stand-out play written by and starring Joshua Welch. We join Granny Grotbag in her cosy little Sheffield home where she invites us in with a warm welcome and offers us a cup of tea. She chatters happily to the crowd as we line up to for a brew, then once everyone is back in their seats, and comfortable, it begins.

So, what can you expect from an hour spent with Granny Grotbag? Well, firstly, she swears like a sailor who just stubbed a toe, she’s outrageous, she’s hilarious, she’s full of absolute classic one liners, and has she got some stories to tell you! Granny Grotbag regales us with tales from her youth, back in her day (though she hates that expression) as the ‘Wild Cat of Sheffield’. We learn all about the night she met her husband, then the night she almost left her husband. We find out all about her children, now living their own lives with their own families, and we discover that perhaps not everything is as tickety-boo as she’d have us believe. You see Granny’s husband has recently passed and she’s at a bit of a loose end, which is maybe why she’s so eager to put on a good performance for us... so we might stick around.

Joshua Welch has created a character in Granny Grotbag who is impossible to dislike – she’s cheeky and foul-mouth, bold as brass, and with a wit so sharp it could cut glass. She reminds me of my nan, which is a statement I’m sure most of the audience members seeing this play would echo, and it’s impossible not to fall at least a little in love with her. She’s utterly captivating, a natural born storyteller, full of life and light and fun, which is what makes her story so sad. Granny Grotbag has fallen victim to the one tragedy which befalls us all in the end – the passing of time. As well as amusing anecdotes Granny tells about what it’s like to get old, the aches and pains, feeling left behind, and worst of all: the isolation. The urn holding her husband’s ashes, which she talks to regularly throughout the play, is a constant reminder that while we’re in tears with laughter at her hilarious antics, Granny has much sadder things to cry about.

This is a powerful and poignant play about growing old and our society’s mistreatment of the elderly. It’s a wake-up call, a raucously funny hour which subtly drip feeds its message to us unseen until the very end of the play when there’s an odd tight knot in my stomach. Guilt? When was the last time I visited my nan? That said, nothing about this play feels preachy, the themes aren’t shoved down the audience’s throats, it’s plain good fun first and foremost, so the one or two climactic moments where the tone does become serious and sad are made all the more powerful for it. The thought of this vibrant, energetic, funny lady left alone in her little living room with no company but her memories is heart breaking.

Welch’s script and performance are just outstanding, the style bringing to mind Paul O’Grady’s Lily Savage. It’s tricky to pull off a one man show this engaging, but Welch’s bold, fearless acting and side-splitting script is a demonstration of characterisation at its very best. He even uses the audience to tell his story, Granny Grotbag invite several audience members to sit with her on stage with a brew and a biscuit for a bit of extra company. High praise for Granny Grotbag Says Goodbye, if you get the chance to see it don’t miss it!


Granny Grotbag Says Goodbye ~ [The White Bear Theatre] ~ Review
★ ★ ★ ★ ★