Writer: Ioana Goga
Director: Jez Davess-Humphrey Ioana Goga
Blurring the lines between real, allegorical, and fictional elements, Love (to) Bits seeks to highlight the complexities of love and modern relationships. In doing so, it travels through all the classic linked emotions – jealousy, loneliness, elation, fear and more. There are moments of absorbing clarity and tension, sparks of sweetness and comedy, and we get to the message at the conclusion, but it’s an uneven journey.
Mixing one woman’s narrative (Cynthia, played by Ioana Goga) with some verbatim impressions of love from voxpops guards against this being another story of love’s awakening without being grounded in a shared world experience. Her story begins with a first love at four years old and moves through the awkward teenage years, a big relationship at 18, to her present-day status as a 27-year-old singleton. It’s a sweet one of finding oneself and recovering from the complexities of a difficult pairing.
With some snappy lines that offer insightful views on the dynamics of a relationship (“Who needs a personality when the boy you love can tolerate your presence” is a favourite) there’s some depth to the thinking and ideas. However, for much of the work, it feels like Cynthia is presenting to us, rather than drawing us into her world through her monologue and storytelling. The strength comes from some of the writing around specifics – as a whole, the relationship arc was awkward, but the breakup scene with Van (played well by Tómas Howser) was gorgeous – real, tender and sore.
It’s presented with little adornment – all black stage, some posters marking scene changes and a wooden platform used as a bed, a seat, anything. It’s versatile, and matches the changing nature of the story. We’re left with a healthy message about accepting oneself before trying to take on other people – a worthy one and a good ending to this short, inconsistent, but charming play.
Runs until 25 June 2022
