‘Whisk(e)y Wars’, The Wanstead Curtain
On 11 September 2026, Whisk(e)y Wars, a one-woman-show written by and starring Joyce Greenaway opened at The Wanstead Curtain to a full house. Tables and chairs were laid out across the venue as Joyce sat in front of us with a small table beside her, on which was laid a bottle of whiskey and a glass. As an audience member you’d do well to grab yourself a beverage beforehand - as the direct result of Joyce uncorking her bottle and pouring herself a less than modest serving of whiskey is that you will no doubt want to join in.
The play follows the character of Tam, who comes from a very successful Northern Irish Whiskey brewing dynasty, as she traces her family history and legacy in a saga-esque format. The way the play is structured is a bit like catching up with an old friend over a drink. As Tam gets started on her whiskey she begins to unravel secrets and stories about her ‘dysfunctional’ family - their whiskey business being the centrepiece that grounds the plot line and most of her ruminations. She considers the role of whiskey in her life, and in the lives of others, how it is present on any type of occasion - from weddings, to births, to funerals. She considers the power it has to spread joy, bring people together, make you laugh, cry, and so much more. It is her belief that ‘whiskey is pure emotion trapped in a bottle’, this is corroborated, of course, by what follows; as Tam takes us on a roller coaster of an emotional journey through her and her family’s issues, inherited trauma and generational pain.
Whisk(e)y Wars has been described as a play with elements of dark humour - but most of it is pretty hard hitting stuff. What Joyce does so well is to cleverly meld the highs with the lows, to present to us a vision of her ‘messed up’ family history, but with charm and wit. At one point she remarks that part of the reason for her survival is to down to her becoming a ‘difficult woman’. Indeed, she is distinctly forthright, proud and honourable, and clearly carries the weight of many familial burdens. Many of these problems are rooted in the struggles and triumphs of their whiskey business, for example; we all had issues during the Covid lockdown, but Tam’s family’s were heightened and uniquely challenging as their business faced near ruin, and as a result this tested their relationships no end. However, as we learn there have also been many other relational problems that arose out of other contexts, some of which have forced Tam to be tough, to fight, to use witticisms as a defence mechanism.
This is a richly poignant script, with much of the textual gravitas in this play boiling down to a rumination on the nature of womanhood, female legacies within the Ulster family, a woman’s role within Northern Irish society and female responsibility. As a female member of her family, Tam has often had to pick up the pieces left behind from her male counterparts, gone out of her way to right their wrongs, to atone for their misdeeds. Out of all the mishaps and mayhem traced in this family chronicle, it is this exploration of female responsibility that feels the strongest. Joyce has certainly created an emotionally raw and layered piece. Nothing feels shallow or wasted, and everything is critically examined. We really get to know the character of Tam by sharing in her past.
Although this play is not exactly a true story, Joyce explains that much of the narrative is rooted ‘in truth and in truths’. Written over the course of just a few days during lockdown, Joyce did much of her research at the Hinch distillery in Northern Ireland, and a lot of what she has included here is rooted in fact. We clearly see that finite details matter a lot to Joyce and at many points she really elaborates on certain facts - for instance the ins and outs of the Whiskey-making process, where the word ‘distillation’ comes from… You can end up learning quite a lot from this show. I feared at some moments that it all got a bit much - Joyce can definitely cover a lot of information in a very short amount of time, but luckily she managed to keep it together. Similarly, much of the plot is grounded not just in her own family traditions, but in those of Northern Ireland itself. There is a significant emphasis placed on Catholicism and the role of religion, the landscape, the food, the community and relationship dynamics within it. However, no matter how many times Joyce appears to go off track, things are eventually tied together and she comes back to her story.
Solo shows can be hard to pull off, especially with such a simple staging premise. There is no fancy lighting, sound effects, elaborate use of props or costumes. It really is just Joyce and her whiskey. But this feels like enough. The whiskey, whilst it grounds the work, is really just a vessel - Tam herself is the beating heart of this piece. It feels natural to unpack traumas and delve into the past over a drink with someone else but here Joyce goes about this solo. For the greater part of the performance Joyce just sits on her chair sipping from her glass. But she is never static, and things never quite go stagnant. The physicality extends at most to Joyce standing or shouting, but trust me, there is a certain natural dynamism here which means it works. Whiskey is indeed the ‘water of life’ and there is more than enough life and spirit in this show.
Where this play works best is in Joyce’s commitment to sitting with difficult emotions. She never shies away from what is uncomfortable and moments like this make this play so rich and diverse. The script is very good for this - there are definitely crescendoes and moments of heightened feelings; such as when Tam describes a breakdown she once had ‘roaring and hammering on behalf of all the women who came before [her]…and will come after [her]’. She is then held in the arms of her female family members, ‘three generations of Ulster women hold each other’. This description of shared pain, understanding of trauma and legacy is so visceral and vivid - the play is full of richly described moments like this. It is as though as Tam drinks the whiskey, it is making her bolder and more honest.
By the end of the play, we feel as though we have really come to know Tam, as though there’s nothing more that she could reveal about herself. It feels shocking and clever, therefore, when she tells us that she actually still has ‘some secrets’ - such is her family way. This is another means of Tam protecting herself, being so raw and vulnerable yet still exerting her control.
Joyce is a captivating storyteller and a truly exceptional actress. She has mastered the art of manipulating her own emotions and exerts such control over them. She goes from thoughtful, to sad, to angry, to contemplative and beyond, but it never feels unnatural or forced. Taking us on a journey which is so meticulously layered - emotionally and detail-wise - one cannot help but feeling they’ve gained a palpable understanding of her and her family’s lived experience. It is almost unbelievable that this is not a true story. As we feel as though we are sharing in this drink with Tam, we encounter being invited into her domestic, personal sphere - sharing in her past and being welcomed into her life.
Joyce ends the performance with a few words on the power of live theatre - how it creates unique moments, feelings and sensations, an atmosphere that can never be repeated again. This felt very true for this piece. The audience cannot help but feel that they’ve been given a unique glimpse into a very interesting, private world. This play has a story - it’s been on a journey and it is very much still on one. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.