In & Out of Love, which premiered last week at Islington’s Hope Theatre, is an extremely promising new play from talented writer Tom Woffenden, who you may know from his off west end smash Cockfosters.
Chronicling the relationship of charming ice-cream man Sam, and hot-mess hedge funder Ingrid, we meet the pair as they embark on a holiday in Venice. Unfortunately, the couple have recently broken up, yet the holiday is non-refundable and so off they go. They charge ahead, encountering the perils of navigating one of the most romantic holiday destinations. Not only the dreamy, yet wet, gondola rides along the venetian canals, but even the more practical problems of how to share a double bed with your ex. Amongst the stress and strain of negotiating the various hurdles, we see them we explore their issues through flashbacks from their time together.
The production is an extremely promising concept, it appears effortlessly simple yet has hidden complexity, with great directorial decisions by Saul Boyer. The flashbacks, which explore the history of the relationship, help to flesh out the characters and seamlessly transition between past and on-stage present. The writing is grippingly charming, bringing us along us on their emotional rollercoaster. Moments of pure joy nestle amongst heartbreaking interactions. The audience is easily engrossed – mimicking the characters with their knowing smiles until a flashback suddenly catapults us into turmoil, the audience sat breath-holding and fighting back tears. choked up. One highlight is a fast-paced montage of the highs and lows faced by the couple, it’s simplicity and pace gave you a full history of the relationship in a mere minute. It was touching, yet never became morose thanks to a peppering of cheeky comedy throughout. My only critique of the writing is in its structure. At several points I was aware of its resemblance to Jason Robert Brown’s Last 5 Years. To be completely fresh, a bit of structural tweaking would help distance it from the classic relationship musical.
A small cast of two allows us to focus on the couple without distraction - both actors blossom in their roles and have a palpable chemistry that makes their toying and playing with each other feel even more real. Robert Kot’s portrayal of the charismatic and witty Sam was pure perfection, his splendid repartee and magnetism electrified the audience throughout the whole show. Olivia Bernstone’s Ingrid (or ‘Grid), excelled in balancing the endearingly loveable side of her character, with the irritating “hot mess” aspects of her character. The pair were fantastic, especially when Kot went slightly off script, misnaming her, Bernstone’s quick wit and confidence in her character resulted in her cleverly ad-libbing more jokes and having the whole audience in stitches. It was a candid moment that was joyous to watch.
This show, like many shows in pub theatre / off west end bubble, is young and in a somewhat concept phase. To a critic like me, this heightens the theatrical excitement knowing that shows are living breathing things with scope to grow and develop. I would urge everyone reading this to go and see these small burgeoning shows – in doing so, you are supporting early career writers, directors and producers and, importantly, supporting your local theatres.
In & Out of Love is great and excitingly, with small tweaks and slight expansion of the show, has the potential to be a truly remarkable show. Watching it, I felt moments of pure exhilaration. I found myself absorbed enough to cry with laughter at the fast-paced comedy, before whimpering in the moments of sincere sadness. So, stay tuned. This early concept show is the perfect example of what the next big British play will be. Unfortunately, In & Out of Love has ended its 5 night run, I hope that it will return in a bigger format, but fear not! Tom Woffenden’s other show Cockfosters, which got a five star review from me, may have another run coming soon (stay tuned for an announcement on that).
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