There are numerous reasons to commend Hull's Middle Child, a small yet determined theatre company in Yorkshire's East Riding. It demonstrates a genuine commitment to nurturing new playwrights, harbours immense ambition (its founders aspire for it to become "the most influential new writing theatre outside London"), and has secured a position as one of the first resident companies at the National Theatre under Indhu Rubasingham.
The crucial aspect of Middle Child's dedication to new writing is that it provides inexperienced writers with the confidence and resources to aim high with bold, ambitious work. Sometimes, these efforts will hit the mark, but not every attempt will be a resounding success, and that is perfectly acceptable.
A Debut That Swings for the Fences
Marc Graham's debut play is not a home run, but the ambition behind it is commendable. Isabelle originated as a 30-minute piece at the company's new writing festival in 2024 and has since been expanded into a 90-minute production. It has been chosen to inaugurate Middle Child's new permanent venue, a fresh theatre space for Hull, which is yet another reason to admire the company.
The play centres on the eponymous matriarch, Isabelle, a single mother to three adult children who are each damaged in their own ways. The audience joins them in a post-Christmas haze as Isabelle gathers her offspring to make a significant announcement.
Family Secrets and Stilted Dialogue
What follows is a sub-Ayckbournian narrative of family secrets revealed through heavy-handed, confessional monologues. The conversational style attempts to channel Wildean wit but falls short. All characters are too eager to quote Shakespeare and Marx, making Graham's dialogue indistinguishable between them. There is a lack of verisimilitude in the family's communication, rendering it nearly impossible to empathise with any of them. They come across more as mouthpieces for the writer's thoughts on wealth redistribution than as believable, lived-in characters.
The introduction of a stranger with ambiguous motives fares no better; he too speaks almost exclusively in soundbites. Graham even crafts a game reminiscent of Radio 4's Just a Minute to justify placing the character on a literal soapbox.
It is not that there is no potential here, but in truth, Middle Child's support of a new writer is the aspect most deserving of applause.
Isabelle is at 69 Humber Street, Hull, until 31 May.
