Review: Static Lives, Etcetera Theatre

Set in the upper floor of The Oxford Arms, the Etcetera Theatre hosts Static Lives. This talented two-hander, written and performed by Luke Ward and Alex Braglewicz, is a powerful testament to the lives of two young people submerged in social media, sustained by bonds of friendship and tormented by the constant streams of trauma porn available day and night.

The black box setting is starkly inhabited by a worn couch, a laundry basket, strewn debris and discarded clothing. As the audience enters, Adam (Ward) is silent and still, eyes glued to his laptop; seemingly unaware of the world around him. Ben (Braglewicz) emerges stage right, and a brief semi-synchronised and powerful pas-de-deux introduces us to their warm, close and competitive friendship. This sets the audience’s expectation for the ‘unexpected’. Verity Drew Firth, credited as director and choreographer, has imagined and powerfully realised the two men; their strength, interdependence, fight, jocularity and connection.

Ward and Braglewicz are an excellent partnership; collaborative, commanding and emotionally vulnerable. They are compelling in this orchestrated tale of two friends, the trauma of Adam’s viewing of a ‘live’ tragic event and the exploration of how each of them reacts, responds and searches for their humanity, individually and collectively. Their writing incisively conveys the references of their era, with the dynamics and comparisons of physical size, romantic challenges and the burden of social media.

The duo warm the audience with a series of interactions both in dance and drama. These adopt readily identifiable tropes of teasing, boozing, and the nudges or shoves of roughhousing between friends to elicit laughter. Static Lives builds beautifully in its storytelling. It is an insightful piece reflecting on the dynamics of friendship, competitive natures, vulnerabilities and mental health of two young men as they delve into the complexities of mental health crises, global atrocities and endless graphics that surface fears, emotions and ethical dilemmas. There are so many aspects that feed the compelling delivery of Static Lives, from the stark settings to language and movement.   It is the raw emotion conveyed both by Ward and Braglewicz that is its triumph. Ward, in particular, sustains a passionate, troubled character for almost the entire performance. This is intense and challenging, alleviated by infrequent smiles and humour.  The relationship between Adam and Ben has such colour and contrasts, from braggadocio to a plea for connection. The time passes so swiftly, and at the conclusion, the audience is still immersed in evaluating their own actions and reactions to trauma and suffering.  

I wanted further instalments of this deep friendship; to discover if they would continue to endure, despite the onslaught of external social pressures, and beat the odds as a result of their emotionally intelligent support of one another. Look out EdFringe; this duo means business!

Written by Luke Ward
Co-Written by Alex Braglewicz
Directed & Choreographed by Verity Drew Firth
Assistant Direction & Set Design by Oscar Robinson
Produced by Two Parachutes

Static Lives has completed its run at the Etcetera Theatre
but returns at the Edinburgh Festival 2025