Can’t Wait To Leave is a deeply heartfelt and surprisingly humorous story by Stephen Leach and is performed exceptionally well by Zach Hawkins. It follows Ryan, a bi 19 year-old who’s just moved to London and shows him struggling with the realisation that he’d rather be elsewhere.
Leach writes with impressive realism and deep connection to his founding concepts.
Leach writes with impressive realism and deep connection to his founding concepts. I felt entirely convinced by Ryan and his motivations, as well as completely understanding of his flaws. Although much of the show included intense themes of sexual desire, family problems and modern culture, there was a consistent stream of subtle humor throughout. We were all glued to Hawkins for the full one hour and five minutes that he performed and this was in great part due to Leach’s consistently enthralling writing.
Hawkins also has to be credited for the show conveying such human emotion and humor. For a show starting at 10:00 in the morning Hawkins gives his all to this performance and barely misses a beat, which is made evermore impressive by him almost talking straight for the whole hour. Without knowing Zach I was in complete belief that Ryan is exactly who he really is, due to the character pouring out of him. It is towards the end Hawkins gives his best performance of the hour, as Ryan is faced with a devastatingly impactful situation and Hawkins’ performance is truly heartwrenching. Hawkins didn’t have a second of hesitation and carried the show using only his voice with ease. This is a show that has been written, directed and acted with a high level of understanding and care of every issue it presents.
