Transforming Bedlam Theatre into a bare bones Boots Pharmacy, Hard Pill crafts a witty, wonderfully playful show out of a simple concept, one location play. Gripping conversations quickly strike an intentional balance between comedy and hard-hitting truths, presenting a layered but amusing exploration of the multitude of ways in which we talk about sex with each other.
The show is not quite Sex Education (yet), but it in a similar manner cleverly constructs and leans into archetypes before breaking the mould, dishing on shame and taboo, unafraid to discuss sexuality with an appropriate pinch of sincere awkwardness. Chemistry is natural and the cast feel genuinely like “People You Know,” inviting to the stage a realistic sample of the kind of characters you will surely meet at university, which allows the drama to unfold and personify fears on both ends of the sex-having spectrum.
Iris Hedley delivers a memorable and endearing performance in grounding the stereotypically obnoxious and irritably loud American as Astrid, unimaginable to be played by anyone else. Equally, audience reservations about the prude-in-comparison, unbearably detestable “rah” girl are fortunately calmed by Natalia Urusov, who approaches Sonia’s posh accent with charm and grit, along with unflinching honesty and spectacular awkward dancing. Waltzing in as the good-hearted, lovable “virgin” man of the hour, Matthew Clegg additionally knocks it out of the park, stealing the stage with seamless comedic timing. Clegg’s charisma is simply infectious, producing a performance of outrageous hilarity so powerful that even his sandwich, sprawling carrot and lettuce across the stage, could have been praised as a genius invention and a character in and of itself.
With an unwavering, tender focus on human complexity, the script capably dissected difficult topics with intention and care, and juggled this with impressive comedic gravity. Overall, I would describe Hard Pill as simple but effective, with my complaint being that I wish it would have lasted a little longer. The show would genuinely make a successful television series, and I hope to see more student productions and Fringe shows take the spotlight with a greater grasp of such conversations that make us real and human.
Please ring me up with another prescription of this Hard Pill!
Hard Pill ran at Bedlam Theatre until 16 August.
Images provided by People You Know for press use.
