Review of ‘Tending’: “Infectious poignancy”

Riverside Studios hosts the London premiere of this documentary-style play, celebrating the endeavours of NHS nurses as well as denouncing their current working conditions. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, directing its elements to offer a closer look into its entrails.

There are many reasons not to see this show. Yet, none of them relate to its quality. To remember the 2020 lockdown is the equivalent of watching a Dhar Mann video – it’s a cringe act everyone should be advised not to, unless they’re looking for self-inflicted pain. We want to forget. We need to forget – even if we shouldn’t. But whatever memories we hold from that time, probably none of them compares to those who lived its hardships first-hand day by day.

Tending doesn’t open with the pandemic. It’s not even its focus. The play is a bold comment on the ups and downs of the nursing job. Rewarding in terms of personal satisfaction, but draining and rather precarious when it comes to professional treatment. Art meets science beyond the concept of actors portraying healthcare workers. Because the ideals it stands for depict the path of an artist surprisingly closely.

Written by El Blackwood and directed by John Livesey, the show is based on the real testimonies of NHS employees – a 2-year process through which over 70 different interviews were conducted, and whose words are replicated verbatim through the figures of A&E, palliative care, and pediatric ICU nurses. It’s an irrelevant description, nonetheless. Basically, because we don’t need to know about its research process to see how truthful it is.

The feel of documentary reality pours through every second of it. Quite often we get the vibe of watching a cinematic piece – where raw hospital footage is presented to us in a completely unfiltered form, with no more editing than the smooth cuts among the protagonists’ speeches. There’s no narrative other than the anecdotes and passing remarks the characters bring on. And that’s more than enough for every nerve in our system to be hit, and for every emotion to be triggered.

The sole flaw comes from the material’s excessive briefness. The pacing is well-established all throughout. From the start, we are invested in this journey – and even after we’ve been let go, we’re still taken by what we’ve seen. Leaving audiences with a craving for more is usually a good move, as long as the author is opening the door for that to happen. But in this case, our access has been shut down far too quickly – and as a result, our satisfaction is only partial.

Yet, this tiny blemish is easily eclipsed by the brilliance the play exudes on many levels. Its simple staging, relying on subtle lighting changes, three chairs, and a medical screen, effortlessly paints the most vivid picture before our eyes. Such genuineness is achieved, however, thanks to the cast’s compelling performances – crude and sincere, bringing nothing else but naked honesty to their roles; at many points, effectively convincing us that it’s their own experiences they are discussing.

I dislike preachy plays. I don’t go to the theatre to be lectured but to be moved, entertained, and given the tools to make up my own mind. That’s exactly what Tending does. It carries a message underneath, as well as an agenda – but it’s difficult, if not impossible, to fight any of them when they are conveyed in such a stirring way. The work may come across as a melange of ideals, but those are none other than feelings of compassion, resilience, sympathy, and heroism – principles we all wish to be inspired by. There are many reasons not to see this show. And yet, hardly any of them should be valid.

Tending plays at London’s Riverside until 4 May. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara