What the F*ck Happened to Love and Hope?
★★★★☆ Devastating
theSpace on The Mile (Venue 39): Mon 19 – Sat 24 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
What The F*ck Happened to Love and Hope? from wtfhappenedto at theSpace on the Mile for the Fringe’s last week, is raw in its emotional content. However, there is nothing undercooked about its writing, acting or directing.
The play, by Olivia McGeachy, deals starkly and honestly with potentially difficult issues. Nina (played by McGeachy) is an outwardly confident but naive sixteen-year-old whose life takes a horrific turn when her drink is spiked. Her best friend Faye (Heidi Steel) likes to pretend she’s OK even when she isn’t – and soon she too has to face a traumatic experience.
Olivia McGeachy with Heidi Steel. Pic: wtfhappenedto.
McGeachy’s writing is extremely impressive. Drink spiking and sexual assault are dealt with sensitively and without sensationalism, but with considerable force. Other elements – racism, unsolicited online attention – are dealt with in a matter-of-fact way that makes them all the more disturbing.
The two characters’ stories are interlinked skilfully, the spells of dialogue and narration flow seamlessly, and other characters are naturally introduced.
This is aided by fine performances from McGeachy and Steel, who combine emotional vulnerability and stagecraft to great effect.
raw physicality
Staci Shaw’s direction, meanwhile, is extremely fine. The piece has a raw physicality that is exemplified by a wonderfully natural-seeming dance sequence, and there is a rhythm to the production that makes it even more compelling. Two-handers in such a small space can come across as static and repetitive, but there is none of that here.
Liz Dokukina’s technical operation provides light and sound that are naturalistic or oppressive depending on the play’s requirements.
If there is a fault, it is that the play moves away from being driven by the characters towards the end, and becomes more led by the issues. It does start to have the air of an educational piece, but even this can be seen as a strength rather than a weakness, considering the importance of what is being said.
On the Fringe website, much is made of the author being 18. This may add to the authenticity, but no allowances or special pleading are necessary. This is simply a very good piece of writing, with a devastating emotional impact, and is very well staged.
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval)
theSpace on the Mile (Space 2), 80 High St, EH1 1TH (Venue 39)
Monday 19 – Saturday 24 August 2024
Daily: 10am
Details and tickets at: Book here
Instagram: @wtfhappenedto_
Heidi Steel with Olivia McGeachy Pic: wtfhappenedto.
ENDS
