Just before watching Eli Zuzovsky’s Long Distance, I watched a Youtube video of Ian McKellen talking about the thrill of getting a letter from your lover in the old days. Frankly, that was my imagination of what the name of the play, Long Distance, would be about. However, it turns out that it is not something you would like to take too literally.
It all starts with a young queer person mis-texting another. They fall in love, share intimate moments, fight, make up, and eventually break up. They experience the excitement of early romance during a movie night out, where they plan to see a film together. They face the challenges of maintaining their relationship, finding out they feel things in fundamental different ways. Ultimately, we witness the unravelling of their connection, as their messages become less frequent and more emotionally distant, leading to a bittersweet end.
The performance style demanded by Long Distance diverges significantly from the conventional approach to embodying text. Crafted in text messages and emojis, the script relies on the young talents of Jonathan Rubin and Lewis Merrylees to bring it to life. Their task is to reveal the unspoken inner thoughts behind each keystroke, allowing emotions to flow through the distance between them. The beauty of their performance lies in how, even when standing side by side on stage, the long distance between them is palpable and heartbreaking, making their eventual separation all the more poignant.
The set, much like the play itself, is simple: two red chairs, placed apart, on an otherwise empty stage. Yet, this emptiness carries a powerful resonance, implying how the very technologies that offer immediate connection can also generate profound loneliness. This is especially present when no texts are exchanged: only silence fills the stage, amplifying the isolation of our souls.
My only critique, perhaps due to the play’s theatrical nature, is the uneven portrayal of the characters’ inner worlds. Rubin’s character is depicted with greater depth, his emotions flowing more freely, especially as he leaves one last message near the end of the show.
In contrast, Lewis’ character appears more straightforward and literal, lacking the nuanced complexity that Rubin’s character possesses. Perhaps it’s more challenging for Lewis’ character to express his inner self through text to another person, but I found myself wishing for more insight into his decision-making process, his thoughts about their relationship, and most importantly, the internal struggle he faces when he ultimately decides to end things.
Eli Zuzovsky’s text is a blend of fun and silliness, tinged with heartbreaking distance and poetical romance, transcending the literal meaning of text messages, words, and sentences.
Long Distance captures the profound loneliness of our time, the enormous distance that lingers between lovers, and the eternal struggle between the fear of falling in love and the deep longing for being loved—feelings that no technology can ever truly convey.
Long Distance is running until 25 August (except 12 and 19) at ZOO Playground.
Buy tickets here.
Photo provided by ZOO to The Student for press use.
