At first glance, Laura Wade’s familial play, which premiered at the Soho Theatre in 2005, revolving around the impending death from bone cancer of Myra, the matriarch and ‘beating heart’ of the family, would appear to be a tough sell. But those members who were unable to get to the Little Theatre last month missed an absolute treat, full of great performances, impeccably-timed humour and a shifting tide of emotions, as the rest of the family slowly come to terms with whatever the future will hold.

All the members of the family in this wonderfully paced four-hander were given time to develop and evolve as time moved ever closer to the inevitable conclusion. Ros Barnes played the ailing Myra with a mixture of bravado – forcing her grieving family to work together and face up to a future without her – and subtlety, as she gradually began to show the signs of growing physical discomfort as the cancer took hold – a subtlety that allowed the audience to share her small ‘victories’ even through the pain. Myra’s insistence on planning for her own funeral allowed scope for Ros’s talent for comedy to shine through, the PowerPoint presentation being a particular highlight. Paul Morton has always had a flair for understated humour, both in his performing and directing, and with the role of Alec, the emotionally closed off husband and father, he found a part that showcased those talents and revelled in it. His ongoing battles with a recalcitrant boiler and the company charged with fixing it were a particular highlight. The timing of Alec’s sometimes uncomfortable anecdotes was spot on, producing many of the play’s ‘laugh out loud’ moments.

Playing the buttoned-up eldest daughter Harriet, the superbly cast Ashleigh Bassett provided a performance full of nuance as her character’s arc slowly drifted from being the favoured, organised and strong sibling to a daughter unable to cope with the impending loss of her mother. The admission to her younger sister that she was “losing it”, in a very poignant scene towards the end of the play, was played to perfection, even down to the scratching of her hands as the stress-induced eczema took hold.

Making her CoPs debut, Katie Levett, playing the self-obsessed youngest daughter Jenna, was a revelation. The obvious ‘black sheep’ of the family, Jenna has a tricky relationship with her older sister, and an almost non- existent relationship with her father. During the course of the play we see Jenna move from a lost soul desperately in need of a hug, to a voice of reason and dependability that the surviving trio will rely on. Her much discussed off-stage on/ off relationship with boyfriend Mark provides a fascinating extra level of context to what Jenna is going through, which Katie brought to life with equal amounts of comedic timing and pathos.

Hannah Leonard’s skilful direction allowed the scenes to breathe, aided by Chris Janes’ clever set design and use of projections, to guide us between the various locations being considered for Myra’s final resting place and the living room of the Bradley family home. Hannah gave her cast the freedom to embrace the silence when needed, highlighted in an initially awkward, but ultimately heartwarming scene between Jenna and her dad – her eating a bar of chocolate and him trying to concentrate on his crossword whilst sitting in a particularly grim cemetery – where the beautifully observed lack of conversation had the audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation.

Attention to detail was a major feature. Alec’s handling of his precious 7” vinyl and the precise placement of the needle on the turntable brought back very fond memories to this particular audience member. The frustrations of changing the fuse in a particularly recalcitrant plug were also very familiar!

The clever use of ‘call backs’ filtered throughout the play: the need to always be eating something in cemeteries, the aforementioned boiler issues and the repercussions of sitting on wet grass being just a few that encouraged a smile. A sprinkling of ‘sight gags’ (eating out of a picnic basket in the cemetery whilst discussing the option of a wicker coffin, for example) also added to the depth of this clever production.

The transitions were handled well by the cast, helped by the excellent visuals, and allowed a seamless flow between the various locations. Though sedate at times, they felt in keeping with the subject matter, especially when incorporated with the soundscape provided by Theo Berkhout.

In a play concerned with the evolving relationships within a family on the stage, a familial backstage shout out is due to Andy Howell’s lighting design, Loretta Freeman’s on-point costume design and a Stage Management debut from Owen Freeman-Howell, possibly the youngest ever to take on that role in a full CoPs production.

Colder Than Here walks a fine line between the oncoming inevitability of Myra’s death and the very real personalities of the family. But it’s the truth behind the writing and the performances that made this such a rewarding watch.

A cracking night at the theatre and a superb example of new writing that deserves to be embraced and playing to full houses every night.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the production.