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In a particularly moving section of the book about how non-baptized babies go to limbo according to Catholic tradition and cannot be buried on consecrated ground, I found myself feeling the pain of parents who first had to endure the death of their child, but also could not take comfort in the possibility of reuniting in death. This was quite cruel. The section on Crossbones in London, a cemetery for the poor and outcasted, is also quite emotional. The main takeaway from this section is to see the beauty in the brokenness. Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book.’– The Guardian Tomb really takes you on a journey and the combined cast bring each character to life. With no main character, you can really tell through their individual performances that each actor has really thought about their role, and how to portray a very dysfunctional family. Mandie highlights Dora’s struggles to come to terms with the death of her beloved daddy, and is often regarded with contempt by her younger sisters. Emma is convincing as the man eater Monica. As outsiders, Lynn Cameron’s Freda and David Roach’s Perry are permitted a larger degree of reality, with Roach in particular managing to convince.
Fascinating . . . Ross makes a likeably idiosyncratic guide and one finishes the book feeling strangely optimistic about the inevitable.’– The Observer The play is set in the library of a sinister old house, where a dusty lawyer reads a multimillion pound will to an equally sinister family. One has werewolf tendencies, another thinks he’s Julius Caesar, and a third buries more than seeds in her flower beds. With the addition of a sympathetic nurse and an author of romantic novels, who will be the last man (or woman) standing? Bringing forth all the characteristics you find in such a large family, their comedy timing, scathing words to each other and at times tender moments really shine through.
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Bod thought for a moment. ‘The living,’ he said. ‘Er. The dead.’ He stopped. Then, ‘… Cats?’ he offered, uncertainly.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book All the ingredients for an oddball thriller are in place with the cast; first a homicidal woman who poisons people and buries them in the garden, a part relished by Brenda Prior. I always considered them a place of personal contemplation and grief. As such, it felt more appropriate to leave them undisturbed.
Another aspect is that of belonging - to a community or to a place. Like countless residents of Crossbones, participants of the Queerly Departed tour, or WWI fallen - they are not missing; they are here. Saddest, I found, are the forgotten graves. Those in York, on a patch of grass between two busy roads which house cholera victims from an outbreak in 1832, or the ‘Navvies’ Graveyard which marks the graves of 37 unnamed Irish workers who died of typhus in 1847 while building the Caledonian Railway. This comedy whodunnit features a gathering for the reading of the will of Septimus Tomb, patriarch of a family of oddly-assorted and often homicidal characters. Soon the bodies start piling up! Set in a sinister old library, presided over by a portrait of a grim faced, mad eyed old man. A dusty lawyer reads a will, involving some millions of pounds, to an equally sinister family. One member has werewolf tendencies, another wanders around in a toga like Julius Caesar and a third member is a genteel lady who plants more than seeds in her flower beds. Their crazed scientist older brother and their food obsessed sister plus a divine diva, complete the family. By the third act, there are more corpses than live members left in the cast; and what about the sympathetic nurse and the author of romantic novels and her friend, all of whom have the audience guessing. All is revealed as the plot twists and turns to its surprising conclusion. Their crazed scientist older brother and their food obsessed sister plus a divine diva, complete the family. Prior to reading this book, I had not pondered that once the idea of resurrection started to be doubted, cremation took off, which caused certain cemeteries to decay. Another interesting question posed by the author is how far should a cemetery go in bringing money-making schemes in places with the illustrious dead? The upkeep of a cemetery is vital to keeping it alive as well as those interred. Additionally, the idea that a tombstone should also have a death is fascinating because the words become harder to read, and other signs of decay match with the idea of grief fading over time. I have felt immense sadness for those whose grave markers have not been able to survive the elements and passage of time, but I think I will view this differently now.I particularly found the war graves chapter very touching, and well written, along with the chapter on the woodland/meadow burials. In his absorbing book about the lost and the gone, Peter Ross takes us from Flanders Fields to Milltown to Kensal Green, to melancholy islands and surprisingly lively ossuaries . . . a considered and moving book on the timely subject of how the dead are remembered, and how they go on working below the surface of our lives.’– Hilary Mantel No. There is sadness in my book, just as there is in life, but – again like life – it’s full of humour and interest and, most of all, love. Are you a taphophile? I definitely am! I’ve always loved wandering around churchyards and cemeteries, reading the headstones and learning about the past. I find them calming places. Once you’re away from the main gates, they’re generally quiet and peaceful, with nothing to be heard but birdsong and the wind in the trees. This book is about so much more than that though. A celebration of life and of love. It confronts our universal fate but tends towards a comforting embrace of mortality. It is also imbued with something deeply moving.’– The Herald
Scenery/Set/Properties: The library of the old mansion was realistically created with great attention to detail: the large dark wood effect fireplace, tiger’s head, cobwebs, portrait above the fireplace, heavy drapes across the French windows and panel leading to a secret passage. The props were excellent and well used by the cast.
Throughout the performance, you never know whether to trust her or not. Joe and Arline have great chemistry. Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book. Tony Hine gave us a good example of pompous absurdity with Hamilton Penworthy. The greedy solicitor manipulates the family he is supposed to serve. Rosemary Gibson, played the loyal Agatha Hammond. Her character was controlled, her interactions with the siblings implied she ruled the house with a firm hand, yet motherly enough to get respect from the family. Characterisation and diction were both excellent, well done. Author tactfully interweaves facts about the cemeteries with personal stories hidden behind the names on stones: Kensal Green's Medi Oliver Mehra, Malmesbury Abbey's Hannah Twynnoy, St Nicholas Churchyard's Phoebe Hessel, or Shane MacThomás, whose life, death, and what follows after, is tied to Glasnevin and its history.
Cemeteries are also for the dead and the living alike. Speaking to Highgate's gardener and stonemason, and Haji Taslim Funerals is an intimate glimpse behind the curtain on the everyday life of burials.Among the year’s most surprising “sleeper” successes is A Tomb with a View. In a year with so much death, it may have initially seemed a hard sell, but the author’s humanity has instead acted as a beacon of light in the darkness.’ A strange choice of play maybe, but overall this was yet another successful production for the Compton Players.
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