Under The Vaults

When I take my seat in the slightly cramped, underground theatre that makes up one of the venues of the Vault Festival, I am not just sitting in a room 10 metres below Waterloo Station; I am instead inhabiting the space between ‘sanity and death’. At least, this is what we are told by Michelle Roche, whose monologue ‘I Grew Up In An Old Person’s Home’ details what her life was like as a young person whose parents converted their house into a care home for the elderly. Over the course of 45 minutes we find out all about the adventures, incidents, and personal tragedies that went on under that roof. Roche, who appears alone on the stage, bar the company of four precariously strung teacups, cuts an instantly likeable figure. Joyful and expressive, she bounces across the stage, acting out various characters from her childhood; we are introduced to the elderly Scottish gentleman who bellows folk songs at the top of his lungs, and Tiger, the former mountain climber who is now confined to her bed, fed a series of mashed up meals. Roche looks back at the world with rose-tinted spectacles, reminiscing that she never experienced any tragedy, never noticed when one of the residents had died; and yet, the production is tinged with a current of regret and pathos that runs to its core. Nearly all the residents of the home had Alzheimer’s, that most horrific of disorders that robs a person of their memories and reasoning, and in one of the play’s most startling scenes Roche acts out a conversation between an elderly woman and her visiting son, whom she no longer recognises. Flitting from character to character, Roche transitions between states of excitement, hope, and depression at the drop of a hat. However, while the acting may be great, the play somewhat falters on its scripting, which has a tendency to lack pace, giving the play a somewhat sluggish feel. Emphasising the warped experiences of dementia patients, who have lost the ability to perceive reality, and the repetitious nature of caring for them, Roche repeats certain scenes and conversations multiple times. Sometimes they are at different speeds, but mostly they are delivered with exactly the same tone and intonation. While this might have not been a problem in a production with multiple actors, or in a longer piece, in the context of this performance they somewhat grate, creating a jarring experience. But then again, this could have been the intention of Roche all along; nevertheless, the most impressive parts of the monologue come when Roche is whipped up into a childlike frenzy, describing her life with aplomb. It can be difficult to convincingly describe what life is like for the elderly in our society, who are often denied a voice, or – in the case of Alzheimer’s – not really able to speak for themselves. Roche’s expressive phrases seem to capture all the joy and despair that come with living in an old people’s home; she talks about the fun she used to have with the residents, and in the next line delivers cutting remarks about their ‘paper-thin skin’, that can only make you feel a profound sense of pity. For me, the most arresting moment came when Roche describes what happened when a childhood friend came over to the house; she describes all that happened in a blur of words, becoming more and more excited, and then, when she repeats the story more slowly, it seems to dawn on her how terrifying her friend would have found the experience. This change from wonder to horror is a subtle one that Roche manages to pull off without a hitch. At the beginning of the production, we are told that the wall behind us is the ‘sane world’, where we have all of our memories, and we know what’s what, while the back of the stage represents ‘death’. Roche invites us into the twilight zone, between these two worlds, giving us a glimpse – albeit short – into life as an elderly person; it is a difficult piece to pull off, but Roche manages to show us the world of her childhood, one of cups of tea, snowstorms, and nostalgia. The Vault Festival is a 6 week arts and entertainment festival with over 60 events. It is running 28th January – 8th March, under the tunnels at Waterloo station. Admission to the festival is free but events are ticketed seperately, prices start at £7.50.