Poppy and Freddie wake up in the 'honeymoon suite' of a bed and breakfast in Slough. As if that wasn't bad enough, they slowly start to unpick their previous night's antics and discover how they ended up sharing a bed in such a... ahem... romantic setting. The couple delve into their past behaviours and relationships, poking fun at their different backgrounds and trying to unravel the real reason they never worked as a couple.
The pair share an effervescent chemistry that is a joy to watch
Emma Gibson's direction is fast-paced and naturalistic but less can be more and a slower start to the proceedings would have given the play somewhere to go in terms of pacing and dramatic build. The frenetic pacing could have done with more light and shade in places and allowing the script's witty 'to-and-fro' to breathe would have benefited the overall feel of the show and given greater impact to the more dramatic moments.
The script is very well constructed and contains some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and gems of one-liners. 'Gideon's bible and 'bare tits' have probably never featured in the same sentence prior to this production, but they work beautifully here, and fair warning, Slough takes a bit of a beating - some might say not unjustly. The premise is not a new one but the relationships presented are heartfelt and well-handled. Something is charming about the period of life in which the characters find themselves; that awkward era after graduation and before a genuine career path comes into view. It can be a lonely and confusing time but Poppy and Freddy reconnect at an opportune moment with serious revelations that affect them both.
The performances from Alice Roberts and Loius Hadfield (also the co-writers) are excellent and both display great comic artistry and the ability to deal with the more weighty moments required of the play. The pair share an effervescent chemistry that is a joy to watch.
This is the debut work from Roberts and Hadfield and it is a top-notch script. As a first offering to the Fringe, it's clear that the duo have a bright future either together or individually and I would keep an eye for them both... there's definitely more to come.
