The Awkward Guide to Friendship – White Bear Theatre

An Awkward Guide to Friendship is an auditory treat featuring poetry, music, sing-alongs, and improvisation. It’s a collaborative piece by poet Beth Calverley and musician Beth Roberts, narrating the personal journey of forming and struggling with friendships throughout life.

The play takes us on a metaphorical boat ride of friendship and a journey to write a guide for it. The story focuses on Calverley playing a stage version of herself, showing how she was an awkward kid, how she made friends, and the insecurities that kept her from maintaining those connections. It is a unique piece in how both performers present the story through a blend of memoir, spoken-word poetry, narration, and songs. Roberts takes charge as the musician, the guide, and a character version of herself, beautifully supporting Calverley’s narrative. Roberts’ vocals are hauntingly beautiful, and Calverley’s awkward, straight-faced, and funny delivery fits her stage persona perfectly.

The production makes great use of the theatre’s intimate space to make the audience feel part of the journey. It is packed with genuinely heart-touching and relatable moments, exploring themes of self-confidence, loneliness, social anxiety, the struggles of adult friendship, and even the real-time challenges of creating the very show we are witnessing. It succeeds in making the audience feel included without ever feeling forced or, well, awkward.

At the end, the performers send the audience off with a farewell gift of an improvised poem by Calverley based on audience suggestions. The line, “It might not get easier, but it won’t always be this hard,” clearly sums up the play’s core message.

The production, however, feels more like a poetry and musical performance wrapped in the box of theatre. While it tells a clear story, the medium leans more toward auditory than visual. This works in its own way, but it leaves the piece feeling a bit neither here nor there in terms of its genre. It often felt like the songs and poetry were driving the story along, rather than the story being supported by them. At its high points, the performance touched the audience’s hearts with everyone singing along. At its lowest, I could spot a few lost expressions, especially during stretches that dragged without lighting or sound to fill the gaps. Even so, it showed great promise in moments that featured sharp comedic timing, improvisation, sound effects and witty dialogues.

An Awkward Guide to Friendship is a charming, experimental piece that showcases the poetic and musical prowess of both performers. It tackles relatable struggles around friendship and, while its theatrical elements feel a bit incomplete at times, it certainly has enough heart and charm to remain a memorable watch.

Reviewer: Prateek Sonny
Reviewed: 11th October 2026
North West End UK Rating: