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With Ruby and I

 
Susanne Crosby Review by Susanne Crosby 4 Published: 5 May 2025 The Lantern @ ACT Show Dates: 3 May 2025-24 May 2025

Mags’s mum has recently died. A onesie is draped on her chair, which nobody sits in, with the urn placed there throughout the show, as if somehow she is still present, an extra character. Mags and Ruby are in their flat. Ruby quickly moves in, with a gesture that might seem supportive, and with a couple of quotes from the film Withnail and I we think this is a play about two young women boozing and taking drugs. And then it twists into something else.

A dark play, but it draws you in like the sweetest of treats and won’t let you go

One of the interesting things about this show is how surprising it is, even changing genre from beginning to end. Just when you think you know what to expect next, the story moves in a completely unexpected direction. It’s incredibly funny throughout, but even the humour shifts - from out-loud guffaws to very dark comedy towards the end. We quickly realise this is a play about obsessive relationships - but no, it’s a play about toxicity in friendships and becoming so incredibly intimate and intertwined with another person that you almost see them in the mirror instead of yourself. Then comes the coercive control, and you realise the person you’ve felt sympathy for is not only damaged, but so much more.

The acting is exceptional. Rach Mullock plays Mags, grieving and desperate to be loved, living life almost vicariously through the feisty, outgoing and deliciously self-assured Ruby, played with dark intensity by Lexi Pickett. The only other human character is Tony, played by Sam Cartwright, Mags’ wannabe boyfriend and more, who portrays the gawky ex-soldier who is not very good at flirting - or loyalty. Each of them embodies their character from head to toe, with complex, layered and emotional portrayals. Ruby’s multifaceted and surprising nature intrigues and entices - her charm oozes, even as her presence indicates both passion and danger.

Corrina O'Beirne’s writing has a grounded authenticity and goes in completely unconventional directions. Much like Ruby, this piece refuses to be pigeonholed. It is a dark play, but it draws you in like the sweetest of treats and won’t let you go until the end, where you are left still thinking about it. It is quite simply exceptional, and not to be missed.

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The Blurb:

Mags and Ruby are in their tin-can flat, so high up you could kiss the sky. Mags's mum Queenie has "downsized" into an urn, so now it's all about our two friends. Day in, day out, it's the usual scramble for spends, but not for food and warmth. For disco biscuits, chocolate liqueur and partying. They are like siblings. No. Better than siblings. Conjoined twins. They share everything and life is just one big glorious grin. Until it isn't. Tony is sent back from The 'Ghan and he's seen things you can't un-see. Tony is in love with his Subaru and with Mags. Three is not the magic number here. Ruby thinks Mags is making the biggest mistake of their life but is it their right to decide? And how far will they go to protect this friendship? With Ruby and I is a break-neck speed dark comedy about the complexity of friendships, sex, betrayal and love.