SHELAGH Stephenson’s emotional rollercoaster of a play was handled particularly well by the ever improving Swan Theatre Amateur Company (STAC).

This band of Worcester-based actors continue to prove they can chose great shows and The Memory of Water - an apt follow on from their fantastic production of Humble Boy earlier this year - was approached by the entire cast and crew with deserved respect.

The sharp script, winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy, presented poignancy and laughs in equal measure. It follows three adult sisters, reunited for their mother’s funeral and struggling to cope with grief, jealously and sibling rivalry.

They clash but, buoyed by drugs and alcohol, eventually find sympathy for each other. It is a little predictable but Stephenson manages to avoid cliches and keep the emotions earnest. Surely no mean feat?

In this extremely well cast production, Jane Lush gave her all as middle sister Mary; delivering fatally witty lines with expertise before succumbing to emotion. Gill Charles’ Teresa was instantly recognisable; put upon re-married mother carrying the weight of responsibility, and Amber Bluck had a reckless energy as their shopaholic, narcotic loving little sister Catherine. Having appeared in many STAC production of late, Bluck is excellent as playing the loud, loopy young-at-heart type, but I’d love to see her tackle something different.

Math Jones, as Frank, called on his talent for dark comedy, Barbara Wright put in a good turn as the ghost of Vi - illuminated by eerie green light, and director Derek Chaplin did a sterling job stepping in to role of Mike after the original actor fell ill.

Grand themes are tackled in Stephenson’s play - death, childlessness, infidelity, illness, and it takes a talented cast and crew to present them so well.