First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes anticipatory grief? Written by actor and comedian Sophie Craig, I Love You, Now What? is a play that weaves its way through the chronology of courtship just as it plows headlong through each of the stages of grief.
Craig plays Ava, a young musician who idolizes her father (Ian Puleston-Davies) both musically and personally. When he is diagnosed with a terminal illness Ava tries to blow off steam with a young actor named Theo (Andy Umerah) and instead finds herself completely fogged up in love. As their romance blooms and her father’s health fades, the intermingling of joy and grief becomes too potent a force for one woman to bear and Ava begins to lose her grip on all the things she loves most.
Director and dramaturg Toby Clarke adroitly helms this production and suits it well to the unadorned theatrical play space of the Park90. Despite the heaviness of its subject, the play’s cast enjoys so easy a rapport with the audience that it is clear to see this work is a joy to perform. Movement Director, Sean Hollands particularly makes his efforts apparent and is given more to do for this production than audiences typically get from movement direction.
There are several gracefully choreographed slapstick sequences that ground each actor’s performance and communicate the stability of the triumvirate ensemble. With competent lighting design from Pablo Fernandez Baz and a series of moving compositions from Jack Edmonds, this play has all the elements of success dressing it. A pleasure to behold and a tearjerker to boot, I Love You, Now What? is a question well worth the exploration.
Playing until 24th August, https://parktheatre.co.uk/event/i-love-you-now-what/
Reviewer: Kira Daniels
Reviewed: 2nd August 2024
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 4 out of 5.
