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Misery porn at its finest. Its never going to be happy ever after but it is going to leave an impression. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Sometimes you wonder how a play got its name. Other times, well, it’s quite obvious. Taking a Love Pill at the End of the World falls into the latter category! An opening scene tells us everything we need to know. Igg and Tom, played with perfection by Charlotte East and James-Baxter-Derrington, have been together for ten years but it’s no longer working, at least not for Igg. She’s tried – couples therapy, and now she’s considering taking a prescription drug to make her fall in love again with Tom; or taking a love pill. This is played out to a background of environmental catastrophe, and between scenes it’s even displayed how long they have left; so that’s the end of the world, not that they know it themselves. Yet.
The important thing is that this is a fun show. Fun in a rather perverse way, it’s basically high-quality misery porn, with very little joy in the story. Played out in just three scenes set over the final year of human existence, we witness their relationship failing in the same way as the planet. The pill is, much like our efforts to reverse the climate damage, perhaps too little too late. Even as Igg tries to save the relationship via chemical enhancements, you already feel that the relationship has passed the tipping point. The question is whether it’s worth saving something just because you’ve committed so much to it already? When is it time to give up and move on, especially when you don’t know how much time is really left?
As well as the misery there’s also an incredibly uncomfortable awkwardness to it all. Baxter-Derrington’s Tom is painful to watch as he does almost everything but get on hands and knees to beg Igg to try again. As for Igg, East’s performance really is compelling. She manages to convey her resentment towards Tom without uttering a word as she cooks their dinner; there’s a beauty in the unspoken way she stabs at the food before slamming it down in front of him. The opening scene could maybe be cut back a little in length, as the discomfort is stretched to its limits, but it’s quickly recovered as we hit scene two.
Writer and director Sam Smithson does a great job in making something with so little joy still so entertaining. Much is down to the small detail, both in words and those aforementioned actions. The conversation as Igg prepares dinner has plenty of little snippets that make you smile and quietly laugh to yourself, even as you cringe in your seat at how awkward it feels eavesdropping on this couple. A remark about ketchup seems innocent enough at the time but soon comes back with some bite, and plenty of amusement, for Igg at least.
Supporting Smithson’s script and direction is a set that benefits from the longer run. I doubt you’d bring in a fully fitted kitchen for just one week. Wil Pritchard’s sound is marvellously subtle, a soft drone, almost unnoticeable, is enough to put us on edge as the clock counts down to the end.
This is not going to be for everyone. It’s no spoiler to say their world is about to end, so a happy ending is not likely! Yet it does deliver a superb and surprising conclusion that, along with its debate on when to give up on relationships, whether it’s worth faking love and what you might do with those final minutes, means that for all its doom and gloom, it does make for a rather fulfilling experience.
Written and directed by: Sam Smithson
Lighting Design by: Beril Yavuz
Sound design composed by: Wil Pitchard
Stage Manager: Bethany Monk-Lane
Produced by: Not Quite Ready
You can hear more about this show in our podcast with Sam Smithson here.
Taking A Love Pill At the End of the World plays at The Hope Theatre until 1 June. Further information and bookings can be found here.
