With a runtime of just 30 minutes, The Constant Cold by Zoë Cooper delivers a tight package of thrills and jump-scares while attempting to explore wider themes of misogyny, gaslighting, sexual assault, and the silencing of women’s voices.
The plot follows three flatmates, one of whom – Megan – comes home frightened after a terrifying experience while walking home at night. As more and more frightening and unexplained things happen, the three are forced to face the existence of the supernatural as well as confronting difficult truths about one another as past events resurface.
The script is engaging and creepy at times, but falters during the more intimate, character-focused moments. The characters aren’t well-developed, including the protagonist Megan (Zoë Cooper). Most of what we learn about Megan is through Ethan’s biased descriptions of her from when she was younger. Although this does directly tie into the theme of silencing women’s voices, it would be nice learn more about who Megan is under normal circumstances, from a more objective point of view. The character of Layla – who was performed with tender nuance by Siân Marie Oliver – is likewise left under-developed. Her presence in the play seems to be as a foil to Ethan; she has no defined character arc or motivations of her own.
Ethan (Benjamin Robinson) is characterised as an awful chauvinistic creep from start to finish. It is possible to believe that Megan, who has known him since childhood and been influenced by his manipulative ways, would tolerate him, but it is unclear why Layla is friends with him too. It could have been interesting to learn more about how Megan and Layla ended up sharing a flat with him, since he is so irredeemably horrible, and this could have been a good avenue by which to further explore the themes of the play.
There are many atmospheric and creepy moments throughout the play. The lighting design by Megan Fortune works perfectly to create an unsettling atmosphere in the already spooky setting of the Baron Court Theatre’s dank, vaulted basement. Some simple yet effective tricks – a door opening by itself and picture frames falling from shelves by themselves – take the audience by surprise and go a long way to sell the sense that the supernatural might be real. The play culminates in an ending that is predictable but very satisfying.
Despite the characters and their motivations being ill-defined, The Constant Cold is an atmospheric and thrilling short play, perfect for the lead-up to Halloween.
Reviewer: Charles Edward Pipe
Reviewed: 20th October 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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