Love in a Foreign Land
The Playground Theatre, London

AN elderly woman looks back on her life in London that began in 1959 when she travelled by boat from Cyprus to seek out her husband, an irresponsible charmer who has gone off the radar.

“You must do things differently,” she urges in frustration from one side of the stage as her younger self attempts to rescue the marriage on the other, knowing that she can’t change the past. 

So begins Love in a Foreign Land, writer Maria Vigar’s emotionally charged tribute to her mother who managed to successfully raise three children amid the trials and tribulations of being both an on-off wife and a scorned immigrant.  

Powerhouse performances from Lucy Christofi Christy as the frail and housebound Theophana and Elena Hadjiafxendi as her plucky but naive junior self set the tone of an absorbing narrative that spans 60 years, interspersed by some deft scene changes and a string of lively Greek and English pop songs. 

This is no misery memoir. Despite all the regrets, the old lady can still have a laugh and enjoy a good party, while there are wry jokes aplenty coming from the rest of the eight-strong cast. And in a nuanced portrayal by Ilias Alexeas, husband Andy, for all his gambling and womanising, comes across as more victim than villain, loved and repudiated by his family in equal measure. 

Directed by Anastasia Revi with music by Louis de Bernieres, this is an all too familiar tale written from the heart. 

Runs until April 12. Box office: theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk.