Marketing your show for fans of One Day and Normal People leaves weighty expectations. LBM Productions’ debut play Almost Everything joins this category of romance dramas that are very much not fairytales, in an unpredictable and powerful cautionary tale of the consequences of love unspoken and buried.
Lead actors and writers Ben McGuiness and Lauren Barrie have charming and tender chemistry as Charlie and Becca. When she becomes his new flatmate, after his brother’s suicide, both characters fill a void in each other’s lives that makes the world just that bit lighter and easier to navigate. With twists and turns so sharp it leaves no time to breathe, we are taken across a whirlwind journey of their friendship, repressed romantic feelings, and regret as Charlie becomes involved with Becca’s sister.
The fast-paced plot and relentless twists leaves the audience gut-punched and reeling. We see firsthand the connection between Charlie and Becca that they suppress, which requires every moment of restraint not to interrupt them and talk sense into them. Being staged almost entirely in their living room, we are present for everyday intimacy that comes with living in close quarters. The haphazard time jumps mirror their ever-changing lives and the unpredictable consequences of their decisions. However, scattered sequences mean we often cannot linger on emotions – too many twists are crammed into a small timeframe.
The love triangle involving Charlie and two sisters is catastrophic in catalysing a chain of events, and a use of the recent trend in tropes of love triangles between siblings. The audience is left cringing and agonising over plot twists and tropes, held captive and forced to watch as Becca’s relationship with both Charlie and her sister disintegrates. We are put through the wringer, desperate to change what is scripted and certain. The shocking ending comes out of nowhere and ties no loose ends, feeling out of place with no context or processing by the characters.
The production also explores complex family dynamics; Barrie and Imogen Eden-Brown as Becca’s sister Emily powerfully portray changing relationships between sisters. We see them spotlit on opposite sides of the stage, on the phone and unable to connect face to face – a mournful representation of their emotional distance.
The sound design is immersive, particularly when we hear a scratched and hazy voiceover of scrambled things they said to each other after Becca loses Charlie to Emily. We enter and exit to a haunting acoustic song, composed by the lead actors for the play which submerges us in Charlie and Becca’s love story even further.
Almost Everything leaves us with the unalterable truth that time is slippery, and everything can change within an instant – if you love someone, tell them.
Almost Everything is running until 24 August at Braw Venues @ Hill Street Alba Theatre.
Buy tickets here.
Image provided by LBM productions to The Student as press.