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Voila! Theatre Festival
A warm and relatable slice of twenty-something life that resonates with its honest portrayal of friendship and identity.Summary
Rating
Good
There’s something deeply familiar about watching Tibby (Anna Marks Pryce) anxiously prepare for her 25th birthday party in a dingy London flatshare kitchen, recreated on the stage of Baron’s Court Theatre. Fresh from Edinburgh Fringe, It’s ok, I still think you’re great taps into the universal experience of feeling left behind while your friends seem to be racing ahead.
The story unfolds as Gin (Naphysa Awuah) returns from Italy, stirring up unspoken tensions with her former flatmate Tibby. Their dynamic is further complicated by Anika (Dominika Wiatrowska), Tibby’s current housemate who appears to have life figured out, complete with the perfect job, a loving girlfriend, and impeccable yoga outfits.
While these themes; quarter-life crisis, immigrant experience, queer relationships, might seem familiar to fringe theatre regulars, the production succeeds precisely because it doesn’t try to reinvent them. Instead, it treats these experiences with sincerity and restraint, creating an honest snapshot of contemporary life that resonates because it knows exactly what it is.
Marks Pryce brings an endearing nervousness to Tibby, creating a character whose quarter-life crisis feels painfully authentic. Awuah’s Gin captures the subtle displacement of returning home changed, while Wiatrowska manages to make Anika’s perfection feel human rather than grating.
Raffaella Sero’s direction keeps the action contained within the kitchen, creating an appropriately claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the characters’ emotional states. While the lighting design attempts to separate imagined moments from reality, these transitions aren’t always clear, occasionally disrupting the flow of the narrative.
There is charm in the lighter moments, particularly through its music choices and spontaneous dance sequences. These moments of joy feel genuine rather than staged, with the cast’s enthusiasm creating an intimate atmosphere that almost invites the audience to join in. It’s these touches that make the kitchen setting feel truly lived-in, reminding us of our own impromptu dance parties.
The script handles mental health with a careful touch. A depicted panic attack avoids melodrama without quite capturing the raw reality of the experience. The running gag of rejection emails provides genuine laughs while grounding the story in the harsh realities of job hunting in your twenties.
Like its characters’ kitchen conversations, this production leaves you with a gentle melancholy and an urge to message those university friends you haven’t spoken to in months. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most profound moments happen in the most mundane spaces, and that maybe it’s time to check if your old flatmate still thinks you’re great.
Written and Directed by: Raffaella Sero
Assistant Direction by: Elliot Aitken
Produced by: Arianna Rabin
Movement Direction by: Sam Smith
It’s ok I still think you’re great plays at Baron’s Court Theatre until Sunday 24th November as part of the Voila! Theatre Festival. Further information and booking are available here.
