The premise of Mace and Burton’s show draws quite a crowd into the Medina. Fed up of bad breakups and being single while all their friends become ‘smug marrieds’ the pair decided they would ‘road test’ all of the clichés in the vast rom-com genre to see if there is any truth to them - and, potentially, to bump into ‘the one’ along the way. Projecting a list of the one hundred most popular rom-coms onto a screen, they demonstrated how they had eliminated the impossible, citing Shaun of the Dead - a ‘zom rom com’ apparently - as an example here; the impractical - Burton recollects her failed attempt to persuade hospitals to let her visit the coma patients in imitation of While You Were Sleeping; and the unsafe - the couple in The Wedding Planner met after he rescues her from a runaway skip - before laying down their one and only ground rule: they would never purposely deceive anyone. The pair then attempt to work their way through the remaining titles, trying to recreate the scene in which the romantic protagonists met, in a brand of heroism worthy of their own DVD franchise. As our two dizzyingly excitable hosts recollect their experiences, the vibe in the Medina descends rapidly towards a girlie sleepover - an atmosphere augmented by the venue’s soft lighting; the audience being seated on cushions on the floor; and the prominence of the colours pink, red and gold, filtering even into the performers’ outfits. Whilst there were flashes of comedy throughout Rom Com Con, Mace and Burton’s show is more focused on trying to unearth some interesting and almost all-embracingly affecting questions about modern relationships. While sometimes the questions posed felt almost patronisingly self-evident, they culminated in the potent exploration of whether love itself is a biological con trick. The video clip they use to answer such a hopeless and disparaging an idea, that somehow feels all too universal, is the true emotional core of the performance. In it, the subject of their interview, a middle aged woman named Helena recollects the final moments with her dying husband and reflects that, ultimately, ‘love is freedom.’ Mace and Burton attempt to end the show on a note they hope will uplifting for the entirety of their audience, regardless of their relationship status, refreshingly encouraging both the women and the smattering of men in today’s crowd to learn to be happy with themselves and to hope for love. A message, however, critically undermined by Burton’s declaration ‘And I’ve got hope’ being forced out through gritted teeth. Rom Com Con attempts to engage with some interesting areas of our love and sex lives, but it fails to offer any real sense of closure, perfectly in line, in fact, with their beloved DVD collection.
