Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew

by Coral Wylie
Produced by the Bush Theatre.

Soil-soaked jeans and dirt under their fingernails, Pip is trying to find themself through gardening. But with a Dad more interested in plants than people and a Mum stuck in the past, they’re left to ponder life’s questions alone.

Until one day, they uncover a jacket in the attic that’s been gathering dust. Bold, vibrant and very 80s, in its pocket lies a diary belonging to someone long gone. Swept up in the mystery, Pip is determined to dig into the past, unearthing secrets about an old friend their Mum and Dad don’t want to talk about…

Funny, affecting and beautifully queer, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew journeys through one family’s efforts to reconcile the past and plant the seeds of a better future.

CAST:
Coral Wylie
Wil Johnson
Pooky Quesnel
Omari Douglas

Writer: Coral Wylie
Director: Debbie Hannan
Lighting Designer: Laura Howard
Sound Designer: Holly Khan
Designer: Max Johns
Associate Designer: Maariyah Sharjil
Movement Director: Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster
Botanical Designer: Dan Yeo
Company Stage Manager: Rebecca Natalini
Assistant Stage Manager: Jasmine Dittman
Casting Director: Jatinder Chera

★★★★ ‘this is play that shows the wonder of friendship wholeheartedly and my eyes are filled with tears by its close’ - TimeOut

★★★★ ‘These family dynamics are one of the strengths of Hannan’s direction. The tone is rich and earthy, as characters confront each other across the expanse of Max Johns’ traverse set, in which everything, like the family’s past, is packed away in drawers and cupboards. When this all changes in the play’s final scenes – with everything literally opening up – it’s a beautiful moment of acceptance, and of hope.’ - The Stage

★★★★ ‘Nothing short of brilliant’ - WhatsOnStage

★★★★★ ‘Under the direction of Debbie Hannan, the production pulses with warmth, urgency, and deep-rooted emotion.’ - SQUIRRP

★★★★ ‘Debbie Hannan’s direction seamlessly shifts between past and present timelines…the beauty of intergenerational healing is presented as a lush and mesmerizing paradise’ - The Rendition

★★★★ ‘Wylie’s evocative writing is accompanied by the faultless acting of the cast… The production was truly impeccable’ - Afridiziak

★★★★ - ‘the whole of Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew will live on in memory’ -TheReviewsHub

★★★★ ‘Director Debbie Hannan’s sensitive direction certainly brings attention to the emotionally evocative script, and with the traverse stage, audience members come face to face with the teary eyes of others as this affecting story of soul-searching takes place.’ - TheArtsDispatch

★★★★★ ‘It’s staged with such soft and fragile direction from Debbie Hannan, as the family tiptoe around their emotions, that when they finally come pouring out, the acting is emphatic, and the most gorgeous monologues from Wylie floor you every time… This takes us back to Hannan’s direction and the work of the broader creative team…(which) expands in an awe-inspiring fashion in the powerful final scenes.’ - Liam O’Dell

Photography by Helen Murray.