Family Secrets Strike at the Emotions at the Tabard
An unqualified 5 stars for 'Girl Out of the Blue', says Susan Stanley-Carroll
Jonathan Sidgwick as Doug and Miranda Braun as Abi
September 26, 2026
Giles Coles’s masterly, carefully nuanced script of, “Girl Out of the Blue” is playing at the Tabard Theatre until Saturday 10 October. This production shouldn’t be missed!
The intricate plot reflects and observes relationships and issues explored from the Ancient Greeks right up to current TV soap operas. Jonas Cemm’s direction is exciting: a zesty pace and perfect timing. The actors are above and beyond praise: fusing together as a smooth dynamic team as they are a superlative cast.
And, oh boy, let’s not miss out the Creative Team - Bethany Blake (Designer), William Godfree (Composer) Andrew Johnson (Sound Designer), Alexandra Kataigida (Production Manager) their contributions added lustre and precision to the entire production.
The audience were gripped, from the start: the subtle script and their attention was sustained till the end.
The plot involved a family, well, two families and the secrets and lies that often fester in the archives of such families. If they have not yet been exhumed in your family’s past they may be lurking there waiting to pop out or you may know others that are experiencing these issues now.
Miranda Braun (Abi) is outstanding as a charismatic and convincing 17-year-old desperate to know the truth about her parents. Her body language was as strong as the script. In fact, the body language of the whole cast was strong.
As for Sarah Berger as Beth - perfectly cast as Abi’s mum, they even looked alike! She is a consummate actor and she developed the role of Beth beautifully as the plot evolved around her.
Sarah Berger as Beth and Jonathan Sidgwick as Doug
Seeta Indrani (Maya) explodes onto the stage as a convincing ‘floozy’, however, Maya is no ‘floozy’. She is the epitome of a ‘Tiger Mother’ and her controlled body language says it all.
Seeta Indrani (Maya) and Jonathan Sidgwick as Doug
Jonathan Sidgwick played Doug. The charming Foreign Correspondent with a dodgy moral compass: he convincingly ricochets with a plausible grace from one torrid dilemma bang into another. Ho! Ho! how the plot twisted and thickened. The receptive audience were immersed and perched on the edge of their seats.
Phew…Was this really a production that lasted two hours and twenty minutes plus interval? Yes! It flashed past.
N.B. Before ‘Girl out of the Blue” flashes away from the Tabard Theatre I hope you will have seen and enjoyed it as much as my friend and I relished every second of it.
Susan Stanley-Carroll
Girl Out of The Blue runs at the Tabard Theatre from 23 September to 10 October.
Tickets and further details are available here.
Tabard Theatre is at 2 Bath Road, W4 1LW just next to Turnham Green tube station.
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