This thought provoking production by Want the Moon Theatre is a compelling exploration of connectedness – to ourselves, to those around us, and to reality. Nat and James meet at work, and whilst he pursues his career ambitions, she is lost in a plurality of worlds – a dream state where she imagines a blossoming romance, passion and parenthood. Caught up in these reveries means Nat experiences every day interactions with James in ways which aren’t necessarily reflecting reality.
A stimulating story of success, failure, love, loss, self doubt and self belief.
A skilled pianist with unrealised ambitions, Nat is frustrated and trapped in a world which she feels too big for. Themes of resentment unfold over James and his ambition – an ambition which, compared to her own, seems narrow and limited. The duality of the character interplay between Nat and James is a refreshing technique which allows the audience to identify with her confusion as to how his ordinary interactions could be construed as either flirting or aloofness. Interestingly, it’s the more aloof James who seems to connect on a genuine level with Nat. And it’s through this character interaction that the two can forge their individual paths to success.
Written by Dan Sareen, this is a fascinatingly innovative piece which is acted earnestly by Madeline Hatt and Harry Boaz. In particular, Boaz excels in his depiction of the various presentations of James – the bouncy, playful bartender or the grumpy, officious careerist. This is a theatrical technique which forces the audience to question how far we can ever believe our own thoughts and instincts. Hatt inhabits the persona of Nat beautifully – we viscerally feel her disappointments at failing piano auditions, and the rawness of her conflicted feelings about James and his girlfriend.
This is a stimulating story of success, failure, love, loss, self doubt and self belief. It’s about living with the paradoxes that exist in all our minds, as we try to trace out a thread of meaning in it all. And it’s an endearing story of growth, as Nat’s character arc brings her to a fresh and exciting conclusion going forward. A brilliant piece of theatre which will make you think – grab a ticket while you still can!
