What do you do in your 50-minute laundry cycle? Perhaps study, run to the shop, or doomscroll? It seems like an inconsequential time to endure, but in Berserk Theatre’s Spin Cycle, two strangers come to the realization that their past goes beyond the laundromat—in the 50 minutes spent waiting for a wash.
As the audience file in Kitt (Zofia Zerphy) is folding her laundry, lit up by the blue and pink haze and underscored by the sound of ambient music. As the play begins Kitt’s solace is interrupted by Noel (Rhiannon Bell). The pair awkwardly flirt until they start to discuss their exes, and through a series of strange similarities it becomes clear that they have history; through some unexplained memory loss they had forgotten each other. What ensues is a trip down memory lane showing the good, the bad, and the ugly of their relationship until Kitt’s laundry cycle ends.
Both actors are fantastic, with a palpable chemistry and a sense of unfinished business from the moment Noel stepped in. Bell delivers a scarily authentic portrayal of grief, as it sculpts Noel into a guilty, confused, and frustrated person. The set design and lighting should also be highlighted; the rosy haze emerges when discussing the highs, followed by a chilling blue as the final days of Kitt and Noel are revealed.
However, the ending felt rushed and left me confused. The memory loss is never explained yet plays a crucial role in the story. I left feeling empty, unable to fully process the narrative.
Spin Cycle left me shocked, and at some points it felt I was watching a real couple flirt, and argue. The talent of the two-person cast and set designer is not to be understated, but it is let down by a patchy story and an unfulfilling ending.
So next time you put your laundry on, nip out to see Spin Cycle instead of studying, running to the shops, or doomscrolling.
Spin Cycle is running until 31 August (not 17) at Clover at Underbelly, Bristo Square.
Buy tickets here.
Image by Bethan Rose, provided to The Student as press material.
