Ivy Tiller: Vicar's Daughter, Squirrel Killer at The Other Place

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Wed 12 Oct 2022 - Sat 05 Nov 2022

A black comedy about preserving red squirrels is part of this year's Mischief Festival from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).



One of two plays about contemporary Britain, Ivy Tiller: Vicar's Daughter, Squirrel Killer is on at The Other Place theatre in Stratford upon Avon until November 5.

The other Mischief production is O, Island! that you can read about here.

Ivy Tiller and her unwavering dedication to saving the red squirrels is a contemporary story created by Bea Roberts. We join likeable but troubled Ivy as she is giving a presentation to schoolchildren that turns more gruesome than expected. It's the first, early piece of comedy with much more to come in this humorous production.

Ivy's determination to preserve one species by killing all the area's grey squirrels puts her at odds with primary schoolteacher Jade. Their mutual animosity continues to simmer throughout the play to a tense finale.



Although she loves nothing more than hunting in the woods with an air rifle for 'greys', we quickly learn that Ivy's focus is a distraction to a miserable home life.

Her pious dad has an air of menace and then there's the unwanted, albeit funny, attentions of a rather simple-minded love-struck colleague.

Ivy's life is made somewhat easier by the arrival of her caring cousin Gary, who just got out of prison. It's their conversations and tender relationship that end up being the highlight of the play.

Gradually, there's suggestions of past traumas in Ivy's life due to her mother's alcoholism and death years earlier. Although enjoyable enough, part of the issue with this play is that it never ties up loose ends.

Frustratingly, it could go into more depth and seems ripe for a final revelation, but sadly fails to do either.



Jenny Rainsford makes for an appealing Ivy and Nathan McMullen, playing Gary, has a natural rapport on stage. Alex Bhat as infatuated Reece is hilarious and adds joy every time he's on stage.

Unfortunately, it leaves too many questions and misses an opportunity to take this play to another level. That said, it's a well acted and interesting piece of theatre, but it still feels like unfinished work.

RATING: & #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9733 ;& #9734 ;& #9734 ;

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!date 12/10/2022 -- 05/11/2022
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