←Recommendations of Winchester Geese

Like "Riders to the Sea" by John Millington Synge, Jean Paul Sartre's "No Exit", and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca & even Emily Dickinson, Maggie Smith's "Winchester Geese" is a play that takes a hard, nearly uncompromising look at the finality and tragedy of death. While the conundrum of death has been tackled and overdone by playwrights, novelists and poets ad infinitum, Ms Smith, fortunately, has the nerve and talent to add something unique to this well-worn topic. A must-read! And a must-see! Nicely done, Maggie!

Smith has a remarkable ability to make these characters feel real and lived-in. In just a few pages, I feel I know their relationships. As they rage against their circumstances, their afterlife, their feelings for one another, I imagine a theatre absolutely trembling. This is such a perfect vehicle for powerful actors, waiting to take center stage.

The world of the dead is one often explored by creatives but I think that this is one of the most fascinating and emotive pieces I've read. No one really wants to consider what lies beyond but for these women they are stuck considering what lies beyond the beyond, an idea that is sure to get an audience talking in the pub afterwards. Maggie offers three amazing roles to chose between and frames them in a great story! Performers talk about Lady Macbeth being a dream role to perform, I'd happily play Avis, Cecily or Bridget instead!

Winchester Geese is a haunting exploration of forgotten lives and unspoken sorrows, bringing to life the stories of Cecily, Avis, and Bridget—three spirits tethered to the Crossbones Graveyard in Southwark, London. The dynamic between these three women reveals the layers of their existence, both in life and death, and their struggle with the concept of moving on. Maggie Smith has crafted a work that not only tells the story of its protagonists but also invites the audience to reflect on themes of mortality, memory, and the invisible ties that bind us all.