The platonic rom-com LITTLE DEATHS is a beautiful play that explores female friendship and the deaths it dies over the years. Simple but effective this play is relatable, insightful and punchy.
The platonic love story of two friends, Charlie and Debs, spans twenty five years on stage, from the split of the Spice Girls to the wake of a parent the play is refreshingly relatable. The bond of the girls is bought to life by the platonic chemistry of Olivia Forrest (Charlie) and Rosa Robson (Debs), the actors manage to capture that invisible string of female friendship which is so important yet intangible.
Bringing to life the writing of Amy Powell Yeats, the play itself is witty whilst managing to carefully illuminate the power balance between two best friends covering all tumultuous topics from romance to finance.
Although the play takes the form of a timeline, with the year projected onto the wall behind, the scenes are effectively woven together. Rather than plodding through the life of two characters, the audience gets to understand the friendship as a whole not as an isolated event.
The scenes and years are melded together with movement sequences which work! I have to say that short movement sequences between scenes seem to be a theme at this year’s Fringe and not a good one! Most feel unbearably GCSE drama, however these short sequences were organised, not too long and helped bind the years of the play together.
With simple production, set and lighting the two characters create their own immersive world on stage. A clever ending ties not only the play but the root of the characters friendship together.
In a year of Charli XCX’s ‘girl so confusing’ the song which has taken the world of pop culture by storm (the one where she hashes out the intricacies of her female friendship with Lorde; “let’s work it out on the remix”), this play is hot on the topic of the moment. On a simple note, this play is a deeply enjoyable watch as you are completely immersed into the world of Charlie and Debs.
LITTLE DEATHS is running 13- 26 Aug at Venue 26, Old lab, Summerhall.
Tickets available here.
Image by Richard Lakos provided to The Student as press material