'Miss Myrtle's Garden' review — this tender play about family, grief and dementia starts an important conversation

Read our review of Miss Myrtle's Garden, starring Diveen Henry and Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, now in performances at the Bush Theatre to 12 July.

In a garden somewhere in Peckham, 82-year-old Myrtle laments her overgrown garden. Her cat has gone missing, her Irish neighbour is causing problems, and she has invited her grandson Rudy and his friend Jason to live with her without consulting her husband.

Rudy has questions about his father, but Myrtle feels she cannot revisit painful memories. As her mind starts to betray her, those questions become more important than ever. Danny James King’s moving new play Miss Myrtle’s Garden explores a family’s struggle with dementia and how past decisions can impact heavily on the present.

The strong cast of five has a wonderful chemistry. Diveen Henry is a perfect Miss Myrtle: physically stiffened by age, she reveals a complex, witty woman hardened by grief and now battling with the failing of her mind. Her gradual decline is very believable; does she find the past too distressing to recall, or does she simply not remember?

As grandson Rudy, a convincing Michael Ahomka-Lindsay faces his own struggles, balancing the responsibilities of caring for his grandmother and maintaining his own relationship. His desire to know more about his father in the face of his grandmother’s resistance feels genuine and heartfelt.

Elander Moore brings depth as Rudy’s boyfriend Jason; colourful and proud, he wants Rudy to embrace his own sexuality as much as he does. He feels stifled by living with Myrtle under the guise of “just being friends”, but also recognises the difficulties raised by her decline.

Mensah Bediako is solid as husband Melrose, a continuous presence albeit perhaps just in Myrtle’s mind. There is a little of the drunk Irishman stereotype who sings “The Wild Rover” in neighbour Eddie, played by Gary Lilburn. Affable and kind, Lilburn neatly conveys the co-dependency his character develops as Myrtle leans on him, so he can feel useful and care for someone again.

King resolves a slightly meandering first half by packing a huge amount into the second act. However, seemingly key plots points around money and the impossible decisions that families face around caring plans for the future are not developed or resolved. It is also as though Myrtle is too large a character for any other women to feature: Eddie’s late wife Mary is mentioned, but Rudy’s mother is invisible.

The play could easily slide into mawkishness, but the writing balances sentiment with sharp and often very droll lines, particularly from Myrtle. A particular scene where Myrtle and Melrose dance to Rose Royce’s “Wishing On A Star” is incredibly touching and director Taio Lawson deftly ensures that the very real poignancy doesn’t overwhelm.

Khadija Raza’s set of a circular garden cleverly evolves throughout, becoming more ordered and beautiful as Myrtle’s mind gradually disintegrates. Dan Balfour’s sound is almost a character in itself, illustrating the changes in Myrtle’s mind through a soundscape of music, voices, static and unsettling noises.

In 2022, UCL released a report revealing that in the UK Black people have more than a 20% increased chance of developing dementia than white people. Hopefully this tender play is the start of an important conversation.

Miss Myrtle's Garden is at the Bush Theatre to 12 July. Book Miss Myrtle's Garden tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Miss Myrtle's Garden (Photos by Camilla Greenwell)